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" BEHOLD." 
'Tis the magic sign of Life and Immortalily." 



THE SON OF GOD 

THE MYSTICAL TEACHINGS OF THE 
MASTERS 

OR 

THE CHRISTIC INTERPRETATION 



Giving a short sketch of the early Hie of Jesus and of His 
training by the Essenean Order, and an interpretation of 
some of His teachings, in harmony with the fundamental 
principles of the Temple of Illumination, known as the 
" CHRISTIC INTERPRETATION." 



.^6° D0 '£/^ 



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Ifinplf ot Mvmmati 



By R. Swinburne Clymer 



Published by 

THE PHILOSOPHICAL PUBLISHING CO., 

ALLENTOWN, PA. 

Authorized Text-book of the Temple of Illumination. 






COPYRIGHTED 1913 

BY R. SWINBURNE CLYMER 

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 



Xrv 



<DdASS7538 



DEDICATION 
To Dr. James R. Phelps, my beloved teacher of the long ago, 
this book is dedicated ; and it is the hope of the author that it may 
be a lasting monument to him. 



FOREWORD 

Among the foremost teachers that America ever had, 
stood Dr. James R. Phelps, he who is now passed to the Be- 
yond. 

Not only on account of his learning, his knowledge of the 
dead languages and of the Ancient Teachings, but also on 
account of his absolute honesty and sincerity was he one of 
the foremost teachers. 

In a letter, which he invariably wrote to the beginner who 
came under his training, he said : 

"My authority — and I dislike that word — goes back for 
years, and was conferred by honored brothers now resting 
from their labors. For reasons of my own, when I affiliated 
with the Order Illuminati — of which Count Giounotti, 
(then here he mentions the names by which the Master is 
known,) was the Hierophant — I doubted my ability to take 
any prominent position in its activities, and they assigned 
me to the care of the back door, to take charge of those who, 
fainting by the way or discouraged by the apparent ob- 
stacles in the way, were giving up in despair. They called 

me ' ,' or 'the Keeper of the Door.' I 

found out in time that there was but one door to The 
Temple, and that entrance and exit were the same. Our 
Master says : ' I am the door, by it any man enter in he shall 
be safe, and go in and go out, and shall find pasture. ' 

"Now, my dear brother, divert yourself of any idea you 
may have that my position confers on me any superiority 
over you. That is the rock on which many a pseudo teacher 
has gone to pieces. ' Call no man your Master on earth, for 
One is your Master, the Christ, and all ye are brethren. ' ' ' 

This will show more clearly than any words of mine as to 
the worth of this grand teacher. No man would he allow to 
call him Master ; but the student might call him Teacher or 
Guide. 



6 The Son op God 

And this was the man from whom I received much of my 
training and from whom I learned much of the Sublime 
Mysteries concerning the Soul and its Powers. 

In my interpretation I therefore come to you with knowl- 
edge received through a training of nearly eighteen years, 
much of which was under men who claimed nothing for 
themselves except that they were laborers in the vineyard 
of the Master and desired no praise, but desired that all 
praise should be given to the Master. 

Brotherly Given, 

The Author. 



The Mystical Teachings op the Masters 



PREFACE 

A. Reville, the French writer, sizing up the religious feel- 
ing of his time, wrote to this effect: "Always in all human 
societies, at a certain period of their existence, a time comes 
when their religion begins to diverge from its fundamental 
meaning, then diverges more and more, loses this funda- 
mental meaning, and finally crystallizes into permanently 
established forms. When it does so, its influence upon the 
life of men grows weaker and weaker as it becomes more 
of a form from which the life has departed. 

"At such periods, the educated minority, though no 
longer believing in the existing religious teaching, still pre- 
tend to believe, finding this religion necessary for holding 
the masses in the established order of life ; whilst the masses, 
although adhering by the force of inertia to the established 
religious forms, are no longer guided in their lives by re- 
ligious demands, but only by popular customs and laws. 

"So it has been, many times, in many human communi- 
ties. But what is now taking place in our Christian society 
has never occurred before. The ruling and more educated 
minority, which has the chief influence on the masses, not 
only disbelieves in the existing religion, but is certain that 
religion is no longer necessary at all. It teaches those who 
doubt the truth of the accepted faith not some other more 
rational and comprehensive religion than that existing, but 
persuades them that religion in general has outlived its 
time, and has become not only a useless but even a harm- 
ful organ of social life. 

"Religion is studied by this class of men not as some- 
thing which we know through our inner experience, but as 
an external phenomenon, a ritual of mere fancy words, a 
disease, as it were, to which some people are subject, and 
which we can understand only in its external symptoms. It 
is because religion is thus considered that so very many 
have come to believe in nothing. 



8 The Son of God 

"Religion remains, as it always was, the chief motive 
power, the heart of the life of human societies. Without it, 
as without the heart, there can be no rational life. There 
have been, and there are, many different religions, because 
the expression of the relation of man to the Infinite, to God, 
or the gods, is different at different times, according to the 
different degrees of development of different nations; but 
no society of men, since men have become rational beings, 
could ever live, and therefore never did live, without re- 
ligion. 

"It is true that there have been, and still occur, periods 
in the life of nations when the existing religion was so dis- 
torted and so far behind life that it no longer guided man, 
and such a period is the present one. But this cessation of 
the influence of religion, has been only temporary. Re- 
ligion, like everything vital, has the capacity of being born, 
developing, growing old, and dying, of reviving again, and 
reviving again in a more perfect form than ever before. 
After the period of the highest development of religion 
there always follows a period of weakness and lifelessness, 
after which again there generally follows a period of re- 
generation, or new interpretation, and of the establishment 
of a religious teaching more clear and rational than before. 
Such periods of development, decline, and regeneration 
have occurred in all religions; and such a period is there 
now. Religion, in fact, is the definition of man 's life by the 
connection of the human with the Divine, the power of 
which over the universe and himself he recognizes and with 
which he feels that he must unite himself and come into 
conscious relationship. ' ' 

Each age * demands a distinctive type of interpretation 
of truth, adapted to the requirements of that particular 
period of history. Truth is ever the same. Divine laws 

*The following paragraphs are practically verbatim ex- 
tracts from ' ' The Fundamental Principles of the Church of 
Illumination, ' ' which appeared in The Initiates of Novem- 
ber, 1912. 



The Mystical Teachings of the Masters 9 

have not changed since the beginning of time. But the 
world of thought advances; and each outgoing cycle re- 
quires a laying aside of its cloak, as the snake sheds its skin, 
that the incoming cycle may be "clothed upon" with a new 
garment, better suited to its needs. The texture and the 
designs and the coloring of the cloak of thought are deter- 
mined by the particular emphasis that a given age employs 
in the interpretation of truth. For the human race to be 
enriched by all the varied aspects that truth and its realiza- 
tion may assume, it is necessary for the cloak of interpre- 
tation to be doffed and donned, again and again, in accord- 
ance with the laws of progress; it is necessary for a new 
system of emphasis in the interpretation of truth to be for- 
mulated from time to time. 

The dofflng of an old interpretation and the donning of a 
new marks a transition period that is attended by unsettled- 
ness of mind and by perplexity of thought. It is truly a 
period of stress and strain. The world of religious ideas 
is now in a transitional stage. To satisfy this need, the 
Temple of Illumination, of which this little volume is a 
text-book, offers a new system of interpretation — an inter- 
pretation that claims to be the natural outgrowth of the 
cyclic stage through which the world has already passed, 
and it furthermore claims to be the highest interpretation 
that can be given to truth, because it goes at once to the 
base and the ultimate of all that is — the Soul of man. 

The law of cyclic changes indicates that the time is ripe 
for a re-statement of religious principles, for a new presen- 
tation of fundamental laws. The unrest and the hunger of 
the present transitional stage of thought demands a differ- 
ent placing of emphasis in respect to the essential features 
of truth. 

When interpreted in the light of symbology, the Bible is 
accepted by the Temple of Illumination as an authoritative 
treatise of religious instruction; but, in order to secure a 
satisfactory comprehension of Biblical teachings, it is 
deemed necessary to give careful attention to its symbolic, 
allegorical, and mystic elements. The interpreter must 



10 The Son of God 

learn to consult the vast library of legend and symbol and 
myth as faithfully and as accurately as he resorts to a lexi- 
con of Hebrew and Greek stems and radicals; for such ele- 
ments as these, sometimes considered mere meaningless 
child's play, are skillful devices for half -concealing, yet 
half -revealing, the deepest spiritual truths. 

The religious thought of the past centuries has been 
largely characterized by faith and belief. In respect to the 
teachings of Jesus, the Christ of the first century, the race- 
conception of truth has been passing through the period of 
childhood and early youth. Childhood is marked particu- 
larly by faith. The child has faith in his father. The child 
believes in his father's works and in his principles. "When 
young manhood is attained, he is no longer satisfied with 
mere belief: he must demonstrate his faith by executing 
ideals; he must do such works as his father does. As a 
young man, he still has faith in his father ; but his faith now 
demands the opportunity to exercise its own powers and to 
accomplish its own works. Religious teaching in the past 
has been largely occupied in the effort to convince mankind 
of the Messiahship of Jesus, and to establish the claims of 
the Christ. But mere faith does not long satisfy. "Faith 
without works is dead," is something more than a trite 
saying. It is a law of growth that faith must demonstrate 
its powers ; it must work out its principles ; it must execute ; 
it must create. The incoming age should be one that is 
characterized by the power of intelligent faith, one that 
executes ideals in harmony with a faith that understands 
divine law. 

A clear distinction should be made between blind faith 
and intelligent, or a seeing, faith ; between faith that is pas- 
sive and one that is active; between an inert and a living 
faith; between faith in a personality and faith in a prin- 
ciple, faith in a Jesus and faith in the Christ. Jesus is the 
name of a man, a personality. The Christ is the name of 
the Conscious Individualized Illuminated Soul of Jesus. 
Jesus, as an historic character, lived his earth-life, and 
passed out of the plane of manifestation. The Christ, as a 



The Mystical Teachings of the Masters 11 

divine principle developed and individualized in Jesus, is 
eternal; as an Illuminated Soul, the Christ is immortal. 
Flaith in Jesus, as a personality merely, is a blind faith. 
Faith in the Christ, as a state of consciousness that all may 
attain by living the teachings of Jesus and by obeying the 
law of love he demonstrated, is an intelligent, an active 
faith. 

How was Jesus enabled to live the perfect life — a life the 
entire biography of which may be condensed into five 
words: "He went about doing good?" To many, these 
answers will be convincing: by an intelligent obedience to 
divine law ; by a conscious realization of truth ; by the trans- 
muting power of goodness ; by a conscious application of the 
never-failing law of love and good- will to men ; by a master- 
ful directing of a purified will ; by a faith that consciously 
operates in harmony with divine law; by the unconscious 
influence of a thought-atmosphere, normally characterized 
by the qualities of love, truth, and justice ; by an illumina- 
tion of Soul that radiates its own light of understanding 
and its own warmth of love, on friend and foe, with im- 
partial tenderness; by a prayer-life that attracts, from the 
infinite storehouse, a supply equal to its own demands. 

The many who are satisfied with such answers as these 
are ready for a change of emphasis in the interpretation of 
the life and the teachings of Jesus. The many already are 
thoroughly convinced of the genuineness, the sincerity, and 
the truth of his claim to be the Son of Man and the Son of 
God. Such as these are eager for emphasis to be placed 
on the interpretation of the law that enabled him to realize 
His divine Sonship, and, in consequence, to live such a life. 
They are eager to understand ' ' the way, the truth, and the 
life," that will enable them to become conscious of Sonship 
with the Father, and thus to live the good life. Their faith 
refuses to be satisfied unless it can express itself in works 
that exemplify its character. Their natures demand a ful- 
filment of the age of faith by an age of works that test and 
prove the law of faith, as lived by Jesus, the Master. Their 
natures demand a proof of the Christie teachings in their 



12 The Son op God 

own experience, a verification of the Christie law in their 
own consciousness. Such a faith manifests itself by a will- 
ingness to put forth every effort to understand the law of 
the Christ, and by a determination to obey this law in their 
own lives. 

To meet the need of the age in its demand for an inter- 
pretation of the laws of the kingdom of the Soul, is one pur- 
pose of this book as it is of the Temple of Illumination. 
That it is possible for man to understand, and that it is 
necessary for him to understand in order that he may in- 
telligently obey the law and live a life in harmony with it, 
is a settled conviction among leaders of religious thought 
today. 

That immortality of soul is attainable, is a fundamental 
doctrine of the Temple of Illumination. Immortality of 
soul, however, is not thought of as something that is thrust 
on all alike, regardless of their desire or their seeking. It is 
not an inevitable factor of existence. The positive law of 
goodness functioning in the lives of men leads to immor- 
tality of soul, or to Soul Consciousness. In each life is a 
spark, or a germ, of the divine nature. This divine spark is 
the potential Christ, or the potential individual soul, of that 
life. This may be nurtured and fed until it becomes ''the 
light that lighteth all the world" of man's consciousness. 
When man becomes conscious of this Light within his own 
being, when he recognizes and obeys its ' ' still, small voice, ' ' 
he has reached the state called Illumination of Soul, or Im- 
mortality; or, to express the same thought differently, he 
has reached the plane of Soul Consciousness. 

The divine spark latent in each individual may become 
a well-formed center of pure, white light. It may become a 
dynamic nucleus of fire — the Fire of Love, the Light of 
Truth. This fact gives the key to the significance of the 
name, Temple of Illumination. The name signifies that 
each individual is capable of becoming a center of illumina- 
tion. Man is the Temple of Illumination, the Temple of the 



The Mystical Teachings of the Masters 13 

living Christ. Man is the architect of the temple of Solo- 
mon, which is a spiritual structure. The purified love of his 
own heart and the clarified understanding of his own soul 
become the altar-fire of this temple. This flame uncon- 
sciously radiates its light of understanding and its warmth 
of ' ' good- will toward men. ' ' 

Man is made in the image of God. He is a reflection of 
the Divine, possessing the powers and the attributes of the 
Infinite. In different beings, these divine qualities are in 
different stages of unfoldment. In one, they may be in a 
latent state, concealed from view beneath the crust of a 
selfish personality; but, unless they have been burned and 
seered by the fire of persistent wrong-doing, they are none 
the less a potentiality, awaiting the unfolding processes of 
growth. In another, they may be in the incipient stages of 
a nucleus of goodness. In this state, they indicate an active, 
wholesome conscience; although the life may be painfully 
entangled and fettered and hampered by the lower person- 
ality. Yet, again, these qualities may have become a dy- 
namic, vital expression of individualized life, such that the 
soul is conscious of its inseparable connection with the 
Infinite. They may have condensed into a center of radia- 
tion, into a perfect, pyramidal flame that warms the desire- 
nature with love, and illumines the understanding with 
truth. In this state, the divine qualities of love, truth, and 
justice unconsciously radiate, to those with whom the life 
comes in contact, the blessings of their inherent goodness. 

Creation is the manifestation of the Divine Mind. All 
things, having been created by God, are, in themselves, 
good ; but, through free-will, man may pervert the good by 
wrong use, and thus cause evil; he may misdirect possi- 
bilities that are inherently blessed, and thus bring on him- 
self and others a painful curse. 

In his fourfold nature, body, mind, spirit, and soul, man 
is an epitome of the universe. Potentially, he is the divine 
creation in miniature, and, consequently, has been called 
the microcosm, or "little world." He is the climax and 



14 The Son of God 

culmination of forces, which for ages have been seeking 
expression. How to use his forces and to express them har- 
moniously, is the problem placed before him. To use them 
in harmony with the divine purpose and to express them 
only in service to mankind — this is the ideal he must be led 
to understand and to choose for himself. To use his powers 
and his possibilities in obedience to the law of goodness and 
in keeping with the correct understanding of truth, leads to 
good. To pervert his powers and to misdirect his inherent 
possibilities in channels of error and sin, result in evil. 

God has placed no higher mark of honor on man than to 
give him the right of choice, the power of decision, and the 
ability to direct will-power and to execute plans in accord- 
ance with his own decree. Every power is, in itself, good, 
although it admits of a twofold expression, positive and 
negative. Every law of his nature is, in itself, good, al- 
though it admits of a twofold functioning, constructive and 
upbuilding or destructive and disintegrating. The use one 
makes of a law determines its effect. Every virtue admits 
of a corresponding vice. Results depend on the use given 
to power, on the direction that a tendency takes. Every 
force, every possibility placed within man's reach, is in- 
tended to fulfil certain beneficent ends. Every organ, every 
function, both of body and of mind, is intended to serve a 
certain noble purpose. When used in harmony with the 
law of its highest purpose, the result is good. It is time for 
man to understand that he is individually responsible for 
putting forth intelligent effort to understand the laws of his 
own being and to obey their highest call. 

One distinctive aim of this book, as it is of the Temple of 
Illumination, is to give clear instructions concerning the 
laws of right and justice in order that man may intelli- 
gently choose his steps, and know how to cultivate his mani- 
fold powers and to direct them in proper channels. 

The Christie Law is the law of growth, advancement, and 
progress. Both in its positive and in its negative aspects, 
this law is exacting and relentless. Obedience to it is con- 
structive and upbuilding, and tends toward growth of soul, 



The Mystical Teachings of the Masters 15 

reaching as its natural goal the plane of Soul Consciousness, 
or immortality of soul. Failure to comply with the condi- 
tions of the Christie Law is destructive and disintegrating 
in its effects. It tends toward diffusion and dissolution. Its 
results are the opposite of growth ; namely, self-destruction 
and continual tearing down of cells. The Temple of Illumi- 
nation is pronounced in its recognition of this law, both in 
its positive and in its negative aspects. Consequently, while 
it continually holds before the mind the ideal of growth and 
development that lead to immortality of soul, yet it admits 
that persistent evil thinking and evil doing tend toward 
total destruction of soul. To create and to follow evil per- 
sistently, by the operation of its own law, generates the fire 
that is self-destructive, and thus makes possible the disso- 
lution of the individual soul that creates such disintegrat- 
ing conditions, thereby liberating the original element of 
potential divinity. 

The positive work of the law of the Christ is known as 
the process of salvation, or regeneration ; while, in its nega- 
tive working, it is called degeneration, or loss, of soul. The 
doctrine of salvation, or regeneration, receives practical 
attention in the teachings of the Temple of Illumination; 
but, as a dogma or definition of terms, the doctrine offers 
little interest. Salvation does not specify a definite act, but 
a long-continued process of growth, or development, of soul. 
It results in illumination of soul, or immortality, or soul 
consciousness. These, in turn, are stages of growth, and are 
not to be thought of as a climax of perfection that ends all 
effort, struggle, and attainment. Illumination of soul is 
but the beginning of thought and experience on a higher 
plane of expression. 

The chief reason for the Christie teaching is the establish- 
ment of direct communication or communion between God 
and man. Every man who takes upon himself the role of 
intercessor in this communion hinders those he wishes to 
guide, from entering into direct communion with God 
through the means of their own Conscious Individualized 



16 The Son of God 

Soul. All that the teacher can do is to point the way. Man 
himself must travel the path that leads to Divine Illumi- 
nation. 

The book now before the reader attempts to do this. It 
attempts to give a clear, positive interpretation of the teach- 
ings as given to mankind by Jesus — an interpretation, 
which, if lived and not merely believed in, will help those 
so living to reach illumination of soul. 







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"By what sign shall I overcome the powers of the earth ?" 
The Within : "By the sign of the Son of Man." 
"Show thou me this sign." 



The Mystical Teachings op the Masters 17 



JESUS AS AN ESSENE 

At the time of the birth of Jesus, there were three orders 
among the Jews. They were very similar in their organiza- 
tion; hut there was a wide difference in their teachings. 
These sects or organizations were the Pharisees, the Saddu- 
eees, and the Essenes. We will first speak of the Pharisees 
and the Sadducees. 

Both the Pharisees and the Sadducees were cordially 
united in sentiment respecting all those fundamental points 
which constituted the basis of the Jewish religion. All of 
them rejected with detestation the notion of a plurality of 
gods. They acknowledged the existence of but one Al- 
mighty God, or Power, whom they regarded as the Creator 
of the Universe, and whom they believed to be endowed with 
the most absolute perfection. In this belief, the Essenes al- 
so shared. Both sects were equally agreed in the opinion 
that God had selected the Hebrews from among all other 
nations of the earth as His peculiar people, and had bound 
them to Himself by an unchangeable and everlasting cove- 
nant. With the same unanimity they maintained the di- 
vine mission of Moses : that he was the ambassador of heav- 
en; and, consequently, that the law delivered at Mount 
Sinai and promulgated by his ministry was of divine origin. 
It was also the general belief among both sects, that in the 
books of the Old Testament were contained ample instruc- 
tions respecting the way of salvation and eternal happi- 
ness; and that whatever principles or duties were incul- 
cated in those writings must be reverently received and im- 
plicitly obeyed. 

But an almost irreconcilable difference of opinion, and 
the most vehement disputes prevailed among them, respect- 
ing the original source, or fountain, whence all religion was 
to be deduced. The Sadducees rejected with disdain the 
oral law, to which the Pharisees paid the greatest deference. 



18 The Son of God 

And the interpretation of the written law yielded still 
further ground for acrimonious contention. The Pharisees 
maintained that the law as committed to writing by Moses, 
and likewise every other part of the sacred volumes had a 
twofold sense, or meaning: the one plain and obvious to 
every reader, and the other abstruse and mystical. This 
was also a fundamental belief of the Essenes, and is, to this 
day, of the successors of the Essenes — the Rosicrucian Fra- 
ternity. The Sadducees, on the contrary, would admit of 
nothing beyond a simple interpretation of the words accord- 
ing to their strict literal sense. The Essenes, however, dif- 
fered somewhat from both in this : first, they considered the 
words of the law to possess no force or power whatever in 
themselves, but merely to exhibit the shadows or the images 
of celestial objects, of virtues, and of duties; second, they 
regarded that salvation could not come by mere faith in the 
law, but by doing as the law commanded. 

In point of number, riches, authority, and influence, the 
Pharisees took precedence of all Jewish sects. And as they 
constantly manifested an extraordinary display of religion, 
in an apparent zeal for the cultivation of piety and broth- 
erly love, and by an affectation of superior sanctity in their 
opinions, manners, and dress, the influence which they pos- 
sessed over the minds of the people was unbounded; inso- 
much that it may almost be said that they gave whatever 
direction they pleased to public affairs. It is unquestion- 
able, however, that the religion of the Pharisees for the most 
part was founded in consummate hypocrisy; and that in 
reality they were generally the slaves of every vicious appe- 
tite; proud, arrogant, and avaricious, consulting only the 
gratification of their lusts, even at the moment of their pro- 
fessing to be engaged in the service of their Maker. These 
odious features in the character of the Pharisees drew up- 
on them the most pointed rebukes from Jesus; with more 
severity indeed than he bestowed on the Sadducees, who, al- 
though they had departed widely from the genuine prin- 
ciples of religion, yet did not impose themselves upon man- 
kind by a pretended sanctity or devote themselves with in- 



The Mystical Teachings of the Masters 19 

satiable greediness to the acquisition of honors and riches. 
The Pharisees admitted the immortality of the soul, the re- 
surrection of the body, and a future state of rewards and 
punishments. They admitted, to a certain extent, the free 
agency of man ; but, beyond that, they supposed his actions 
to be controlled by the decree of fate. These points of doc- 
trine, however, seem not to have been understood or ex- 
plained by the sects in the same way, neither does it appear 
that either of the two took any great pains to define and to 
ascertain them with accuracy and precision or to support 
them by reasoning and argument. 

The Sadducees were a sect much inferior in point of num- 
ber to that of the Pharisees, but composed entirely of per- 
sons distinguished for their opulence and prosperity. Those 
who belonged to them were wholly devoid of the sentiments 
of benevolence and compassion towards others; whereas, 
the Pharisees, according to authority, were ever ready to 
relieve the wants of the needy and the afflicted. The Sad- 
ducees were fond of passing their lives in one uninterrupted 
course of ease and pleasure ; insomuch that it was with dif- 
ficulty they could be prevailed on to undertake the duties of 
the magistracy or any other public function. Their lead- 
ing tenet was that all our hopes and fears terminate with 
the present life, the soul being involved in one common fate 
with the body, and, like it, liable to perish and be annihi- 
lated. 

Upon this principle, it was natural for the Sadducees to 
maintain that obedience to the Divine Law would be 
rewarded by the Most High with length of days and an 
abundance of the good things of this life, such as honors, 
distinctions, and riches; while the violators of it, in like 
manner, would find their punishment in the temporary suf- 
ferings and afflictions of the present time. Therefore, they 
always connected the favor of heaven with a state of 
worldly prosperity, and could not regard any as virtuous, 
or the friends of heaven, except the fortunate and the 
happy ; they had no bowels of compassion for the poor and 
the miserable ; their desires and hopes centered in a life of 



20 The Son op God 

pleasure, leisure, ease, and voluptuous gratifications. This 
is precisely the character that reliable authority gives them. 
Also, this idea appears to be countenanced by the sacred 
writings — especially if, as is now generally admitted, the 
master Jesus, in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, 
designed, in the person of the former, to delineate the prin- 
ciples and manners of life of a Sadducee. 

Although not mentioned openly in the Bible for the rea- 
son that Jesus was one of them, the Essenes existed as a 
sect in the time of Jesus and were divided into two 
branches: the one was characterized by a life of celibacy, 
dedicated to the instruction and education of the children 
of others; while the other branch — the Therapeutae — 
thought it proper to marry, not with a view of sensual grati- 
fication, but for the purpose of propagating the human 
species, and for the purpose of the development of a certain 
power which is possible only through the rites of true mar- 
riage. Hence, they were distinguished by the people as the 
practical and the theoretical Essenes. 

The Essenes were distributed in the cities and throughout 
the countries of Syria, Palestine, and Egypt. In fact, they 
were the natural successors to the Egyptian Initiates after 
the fall of the temples of Initiation in Egypt. Their bond 
of association embraced not merely a community of tenets 
and similarity of manners and particular observances, but 
it extended also to an intercommunity of goods. Their de- 
meanor was sober and chaste; and their mode of life, in 
every respect, was subjected to the strictest regulations and 
was submitted to the superintendence of governors, whom 
they appointed over themselves and who held such position 
for life. In like manner, the governor, now known as the 
Grand Master, is at the head of the Rosicrucian Fraternity, 
in each country, for life. 

The whole of their time was devoted to labor, meditation, 
and prayer ; and they were most sedulously attentive to the 
calls of justice and humanity, and of every moral duty. 
They believed in the unity of God, or the one Supreme Be- 
ing, with principalities and hierarchies less than the One 



The Mystical Teachings of the Masters 21 

Supreme God. They believed the soul to have fallen, 
through disobedience to the Divine Law, from the regions 
of purity and light into the dark bodies which men occupy 
as the house of the soul ; they considered men, during their 
continuance in the body, to be confined, as it were, within 
the wall of loathsome prisons which had to be changed into 
the temples of God through obedience to the Divine Law. 
They cultivated great abstinence, allowing themselves but 
little bodily nourishment or gratification, The ceremonies 
and rituals, or external forms, which were enjoined by the 
laws of Moses to be observed in the worship of God, were 
not regarded by the Essenes as necessary except as sym- 
bolizing the greater worship within the temple of man. Like 
the old Initiates of Egypt, they held that the Ritualistic 
form or ceremony should not be held by the neophytes until 
after they had first manifested an interior Initiation. The 
experience of Initiation the Temple of the Illuminati calls 
Individualized Soul Consciousness, and the Rosicrucian 
Fraternity calls it ' ' Passing the Threshold. ' ' 

This same form is today observed by the Rosicrucian Fra- 
ternity, as also by the Temple of the Illuminati, which is the 
outer court of the Rosicrucian Fraternity, as was the Thera- 
peutae, an outer circle of the Essenes. No neophyte can 
take part in the ceremonial ritual until, through training, 
not mere study, he has passed the Threshold and has found 
the Christ, or reached Soul Consciousness. 

In accordance with the teachings of the Essenes, of Jesus 
and of the Rosicrucian Fraternity, even this ceremonial 
initiation is not actually required; but it helps to bind its 
Initiates into a closer bond of Brotherhood in that it brings 
them together in symbolizing outwardly that which they 
have already found within themselves. 

Only sacrifices of incense were offered by the Essenes ; 
but this they did in their homes. 

Although Jesus often denounced both the Pharisees and 
the Sadducees most bitterly, there is not a single instance of 
his having anything to say against the Essenes; and this 
alone is evidence that, even if he had not been one of them, 



22 The Son op God 

he must have agreed with their doctrine and have found 
nothing against them. But there is manuscript proof in 
abundance that he received his whole training in their 
temples both in Palestine and in Egypt. 

In all points, the teachings of the Essenes exactly corre- 
sponded to what Jesus taught during his ministry and to 
much of what is now being taught by their successors — the 
Eosierucian Fraternity and its outer courts. Both teach a 
selfless, purified life — a life of love, cheer, and ministry 
among all humanity. Their abstinence from all harmful 
things that the world and the flesh adhere to,. love and 
teach, proves that they understood the illusions of these 
human beliefs and teachings, and their inadequacy for hap- 
piness and for the development that leads to life eternal. 
Jesus did not desire what the world offered him, "he was 
tempted in all points like as we are;" but he understood. 
To understand is to know. Jesus understood the Law, for 
he had been fully taught it. In temptation, he understood 
that the claims and offers were false and evil, that they of- 
fered only temporary benefits, and did not lead to Divine 
Truth and Unity. Wisdom is not knowledge of books nor 
yet of any teachings. "Wisdom is understanding through 
becoming. 

When the soul unfolds and develops into the vibration 
and the currents that constitute Soul Wisdom, or God's 
Wisdom, we know that what evil claims as goodness or 
knowledge, wisdom and happiness, is not really such; and 
we know that there cannot be anything desirable in or 
through evil. There is only one way to attain Soul Wis- 
dom, and that is to turn away from false beliefs. 

All men should know, all religions should teach, that the 
One God, the God of the Egyptians, the God of Moses, of 
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the God of Jesus is the 
Creator, the Controller, the Ruler, of the Universe. 

All admit that God is Omnipotent, Universal, and Di- 
vine. All admit that God rules, is immutable, and Supreme. 
Yet very few are willing to be like Him, to do like Him, and 
thereby to become like Him, the Sons of God. 



The Mystical Teachings of the Masters 23 

All admit that to attain Sonship with Him, to know Him, 
to become like Him, we must be like Him. We must be 
' ' raised up in His likeness. ' ' The mortal must be changed, 
transmuted; it must put on Immortality. The corruptible 
must put on incorruption. In putting on incorruption, it 
is not necessary to lay aside the material body ; for the ma- 
terial is changeable, not merely at death, but also during 
life; and it is indeed for the very purpose of making this 
change that man is on the earth plane and has the earthly, 
or carnal, body. 

This mystery of transmutation Jesus had been taught. 
More than this, he had to live the life among the Essenes 
that brought about such a change. In all his teachings he 
taught this doctrine, and how to accomplish the change from 
corruptible to incorruptible. This was the purpose of his 
ministry. 

God is Intelligence. He is Universal Intelligence and 
Wisdom. This Universal Intelligence is in all things. "All 
that was, was made by Him." Without this Wisdom and 
Intelligence can nothing be made, for God is in all things. 
The Infinite Wisdom is all that is, all that has been, and 
all that ever will be. If the Universal Intelligence controls 
all things, and is changeless, then immortal man, made in 
His image, is like Him. He has wisdom and intelligence, 
and is empowered even with means of access to the Divine 
Intelligence and Wisdom. This is the stage of conscious- 
ness that Jesus attained through the training he received 
from the Essenes. He attained it through the awakening 
and the development of the Soul. 

As man lays aside, or draws away from, all that the 
world offers, all that the carnal man seeks to attain in am- 
bition, fame, self-glory, he is able to grow into the full reali- 
zation of his Divine Being, and to attain far more than the 
world can ever give him. 

Soul Development, or spiritual training, alone is the key 
to the door of wisdom and knowledge. The Essenes trained 
and developed the boy Jesus into the great and wonderful 
Christ. Development is not only controlling and subduing 



24 The Son of God 

the physical and the material, but it is also the process of 
bringing into life the divine spark within man. As this is 
awakened and aroused to consciousness, there is a gain of 
wisdom; for the Awakened Soul is in communion with the 
Father who knows all things and who gives all knowledge 
to those that are like Him. 

"Jesus * passed his early years amid the calm of Galilee. 
His first impressions were gentle, austere, and serene. His 
birthplace resembled a corner of heaven, dropped on the 
side of a mountain. The village of Nazareth has changed 
but little with the flight of time. Its houses, rising in tiers 
under the rock, resembled white cubes scattered about in 
a forest of pomegranate, vine, and fig trees, whilst myriads 
of doves filled the heavens. Around this nest of verdant 
freshness floats the pure mountain air, whilst on the heights 
may be seen the open, clear horizon of Galilee. Add to this 
imposing background the quiet, solemn home-life of a pious, 
patriarchal family. The strength of Jewish education lay 
always in the unity of law and faith, as well as in the pow- 
erful organization of the family dominated by the national 
and religious idea. The paternal home was a kind of temple 
for the child. . . . The union of father and mother in 
mutual love of their children illumined and warmed the 
house with a distinctly spiritual life. It was there Jesus 
received his early instruction, and first became acquainted 
with the scriptures under the teachings of his parents. 
[There is evidence that his mother only was capable of in- 
structing him.] From his earliest childhood the long 
strange destiny of the people of God appeared before him 
in the periodic feasts and holy days celebrated in family life 
by reading, song, and prayer. At the Feast of Tabernacles, 
a shed, made of myrtle and olive branches, was erected in 
the court or on the roof of the house in memory of the 

*The following paragraphs are taken verbatim from 
Jesus, the last great Initiate, by E. Shure (pp. 25 ff.). What 
appears in brackets is the comment of the author of this 
book. 



The Mystical Teachings of the Masters 25 

nomad patriarchs of bygone days. The seven-branched 
candlestick was lit, and there were produced the rolls of 
papyrus from which the secret history was read aloud. To 
the child 's mind, the Eternal was present, not merely in the 
starry sky, but even in this candlestick, the reflex of his 
glory, in the speech of the father and the silent love of the 
mother. Thus Jesus was made acquainted with the great 
days in Israel's history, days of joy and sorrow, of triumph 
and exile, of numberless afflictions and eternal hope. The 
father gave no reply to the child's eager and direct ques- 
tions. But the mother [having received much of the Mystic 
training from the Essenes] said to him : ' The "Word of God 
lives in his prophets alone. Some day the wise Essenes, 
solitary wanderers by Mount Carmel and the Dead Sea, 
will give thee an answer. ' 

''However powerful might have been the impressions of 
the outer world on the Soul of Jesus, they all grew pale be- 
fore the sovereign and inexpressible truth in his inner' 
world. This truth was expanding in the depths of his na- 
ture, like some lovely flower emerging from a dark pool. It 
resembled a growing light which appeared to him when 
alone in silent meditation. At such times, men and things, 
whether near or far away, appeared as though transparent 
in their essence. He read thoughts and saw souls; then, 
in memory, he caught glimpses, as though through a thin 
veil, of divinely beautiful and shining beings bending over 
him, or assembled in adoration of a dazzling light. [For 
the hierarchies were ever near him and guiding him.] 
Wonderful visions came in his sleep, or interposed them- 
selves between himself and reality by a veritable duplica- 
tion of his consciousness. In these transports of rapture 
which carried him from zone to zone as though towards 
other skies, he at times felt himself attracted by a mighty 
dazzling light, and then plunged into an incandescent sun. 
These ravishing experiences left behind in him a spring of 
ineffable tenderness, a source of wonderful strength. How 
perfect was the reconciliation he felt with all beings, in 
what sublime harmony was he with the universe! But 



26 The Son of God 

what was this mysterious light — though even more familiar 
and living than the other — which sprang forth from the 
depths of his nature, carrying him away to the most distant 
tracts of space, and yet uniting him by secret vibrations 
with all souls ? Was it not the source of souls and worlds ? 
[Was it not his own soul having become awakened and Con- 
scious? For all those who follow the Path see the same 
dazzling light and are enveloped in and by it.] 

' ' He named it His Father in heaven. 

' ' This primitive feeling of unity with God in the light of 
Love is the first, the great revelation to Jesus. An inner 
voice told him to hide it deep in his heart; all the same, it 
was to give light to his whole life. It gave him an in- 
vincible feeling of certainty, made him at once gentle and 
indomitable ; converted his thoughts into a diamond shield, 
and his speech into a sword of flame. 

' ' Besides, this profoundly secret, mystical life was united 
with a perfect clearness in matters of every-day life. Luke 
shows him at the age of twelve years as 'increasing in 
strength, grace, and wisdom.' The religious consciousness 
was, in Jesus, innate, absolutely independent of the outer 
world. His prophetic and Messianic consciousness could 
only be awakened by outer circumstances, by the life of his 
age, in short, by special initiation and long elaboration. 
[Through his early teachings, through soul training, and 
through self-mastery in thought, desire, and deed. ] Traces 
of this are found in the Gospels and elsewhere. 

''The first great shock came to him during a journey to 
Jerusalem with his parents, as related by Luke. This town, 
the pride of Israel, had become the center of Jewish aspira- 
tions. Its misfortunes had had no other effect than to exalt 
the minds of men. Under the Seleucides and Maccabees, 
first by Pompey and finally by Herod, Jerusalem had been 
subjected to the most terrible of sieges. Blood had been 
shed in torrents; the Roman legions had butchered the 
people in its streets, and innumerable crucifixions had pol- 
luted the surrounding heights. After such horrors, and the 



The Mystical Teachings of the Masters 27 

humiliation following on the Roman occupation, after deci- 
mating the Sanhedrim and reducing the pontiff to a mere 
trembling slave, Herod, as though in irony, had rebuilt the 
temple with more magnificent pomp and glory than ever. 
Jerusalem remained, as before, the holy city. Had not 
Isaiah, the favorite author of Jesus, named it 'the Bride, 
before whom the people shall bow down'? He had said: 
'The Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the 
brightness of thy rising. . . . Violence shall no more be 
heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy 
borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation and thy 
gates Peace. ' To see Jerusalem and the temple of Jehovah 
was the dream of all Jews, especially since Judea had be- 
come a Roman province. They journeyed hither from 
Perea, Galilee, Alexandria, and Babylon. On the way, 
whether in the wilderness under the waving palms, or near 
the wells, they cast longing eyes, as they sang their psalms, 
in the direction of the hill of Zion. A strange feeling of 
oppression must have come over the soul of Jesus, when, on 
his first pligrimage, he saw the city girt around with lofty 
walls, standing there on the mountain, like a gloomy 
fortress, the Roman amphitheatre of Herod at its gates, the 
Antonia tower dominating the temple, and Roman legions — 
lance in hand — keeping watch from the heights. He 
ascended the temple steps, and admired the beauty of those 
marble porticoes, along which walked the Pharisees in 
sumptuous flowing robes. [The Pharisees whom he was 
later so bitterly to denounce!] 

"After crossing the Gentiles', he proceeded to the 
women's court, and, mingling with the crowd of Israelites, 
drew near the Nicanor gate, and the three-cubit balustrade, 
behind which were to be seen priests in sacerdotal robes of 
purple and violet, shining with gold and precious stones, 
officiating there in front of the sanctuary, sacrificing bulls 
and goats, and sprinkling the blood over the people as they 
pronounced a blessing. All this bore no resemblance to the 
temple of his dreams, or the heaven in his heart. [The 



28 The Son of God 

temple of his dreams was the temple of his own soul, re- 
vealed to him by the Inner Consciousness of God within his 
own being.] 

"Then he descended again into the more populous 
quarters of the town, where he saw beggars pallid with 
hunger, and whose faces were torn with anguish ; a veritable 
reflection of the tortures and crucifixions accompanying 
the late wars. Leaving the city by one of the gates, he 
wandered among those stony valleys and gloomy ravines 
forming the quarries, pools, and tombs of the kings, and 
converting Jerusalem into a veritable sepulchre. There he 
saw maniacs issue from the caves, shrieking out blasphemies 
against living and dead alike. Then, descending a broad 
flight of stones to the pool of Siloam, he saw stretched out 
at the water's brink lepers, paralytics, and wretches, cov- 
ered with ulcers and sores, in the most abject misery. An 
irresistible impulse compelled him to look deep into their 
eyes, and drink in all their grief and pain. [As must do 
all those who would be saviours of their race.] Some asked 
him for help, others were gloomy and hopeless, others again, 
with senses numbed, seemed to have done with suffering. 

"Then Jesus said to himself: 'Of what use are these 
priests, this temple and these sacrifices, since they can afford 
no relief to this terrible suffering ? ' And, of a sudden, like 
an overwhelming torrent, he felt pouring into his heart the 
grief and pain of this town and its inhabitants — of the 
whole of humanity. He understood now that a happiness 
he could not share with others was absolutely impossible. 
These looks of despair were never more to leave his memory. 
Human suffering, a sad-faced bride, would henceforth ac- 
company him everywhere, whispering in his ear: 'I will 
never leave thee more. ' 

"His soul full of anguish, he left Jerusalem, and pro- 
ceeded towards the open peaks of Galilee. A cry leapt 
forth from the depths of his heart: 'Father in heaven! 
Grant that I may knoiv, and heal, and save.' " 

This mighty prayer that went forth from the heart of 
Jesus could be granted by none other than the Essenes; 



The Mystical Teachings op the Masters 29 

for they alone, in that vast country, could teach him. 
Neither the Pharisees nor the Sadducees claimed to know, 
to heal, or to save. The Essenes alone gave their whole time 
and their whole life to the work of teaching humanity, of 
healing them, and of trying to teach them how to save 
themselves ; for it is a fundamental doctrine that man must 
save himself through the awakening of his inner conscious- 
ness, or the finding of the Christ. 

Thus, at the age of thirteen years, Jesus entered the Esse- 
nian school, as had his mother before him. Of the teach- 
ings we can bring to the attention of the reader those which 
were not secret; but of his training nothing may be said. 
For that was as secret at that day as it is at the present; 
and only those who are willing to know, to heal, and to save 
humanity can receive such a training. 

The student reader may think this purely conjecture, 
but it is not. For the older manuscripts are before us, 
which contain the undeniable record of such training or 
initiation, and, so far as the world is concerned, we need 
but ask: Why did not Jesus attack with his unparalleled 
courage the Essenes as he did all the other religious sects 
of his day ? Why did he not even mention them except in 
so far as their doctrines are concerned ? Why did not the 
other apostles speak of them and denounce them? All of 
them knew that such a religious sect as the Essenes existed 
and that they were a mighty band. For only one reason : 
both Jesus and John had been taught by the Order, and 
they both were teaching much to the people that had before 
been taught only to the Inner Circle because the people 
were not yet ready to receive the truth. 

In the time of Jesus, the order of the Essenes constituted 
the last remnant of brotherhoods which were established 
by the Egyptian Priests and by the later prophets. It was 
no new order; for, in its earlier times, the same teachings 
were expounded in Atlantis. It was simply a re-institution 
of a brotherhood as old as conscious humanity. The des- 
potism of the rulers of all countries at that time, the jeal- 
ousy of an ambitious and imbecile priesthood, had forced 



30 The Son of God 

the order to take refuge in silence and solitude. They did 
not struggle as did those who went before them., but con- 
tentedly devoted themselves to preserving their traditions 
and their sublime teachings and training for such few as 
voluntarily came to them for that purpose. 

They had a number of principal centers: one in Egypt, 
on the banks of the Lake Maoris; one in Palestine at En- 
gaddd, near the Dead Sea ; and the others secret. The name 
of Essenes was no doubt derived from the Syrian word 
"Asaya," a physician — in Greek, therapeutes. But this 
word had also another meaning, it meant a teacher; and 
the two words, teacher and physician, made the third — 
a saver of mankind. For this they were, healers, teachers, 
and savers of mankind. Their only work, in so far as the 
people were concerned, was that of healing both the physical 
and the moral diseases of mankind. As to themselves, they 
worked as hard as any man could ; and all the food that they 
required was raised by themselves. A part of their time 
was given to training — prayer, study, exercises, et cetera; 
another part, to humanity ; and another, to physical labor. 

Some of them, as in the present time with the true 
Initiates, were possessed of the gift of prophecy, as Mena- 
him, who had prophesied to Herod that he should reign. 
"They serve God," said Philo, "with great piety, not by 
offering victims, but by sanctifying the spirit; avoiding 
towns, they devote themselves to the arts of peace ; not a 
single slave is to be found among them; they are all free 
and work for one another. ' ' They were the only ones that 
taught man that he must and could be "Perfect, even as 
the Father in heaven is perfect ; ' ' and this was the constant 
teaching of Jesus to humanity. 

The rules of the Order were indeed strict ; and, in order 
to enter upon training with them, it was necessary, as in the 
case of the boy Jesus, that the parents should be willing to 
give the Brotherhood absolute control over the child until 
it became of age, when the man could do as his conscience 
ordered him. In case one of age desired to enter, he had, 
after making application, to live a perfect and temperate 



The Mystical Teachings of the Masters 31 

life for one year before he was even admitted to training. 
After he was admitted he had to study under the brothers 
for another two years; and, if they found him worthy, he 
was then, at the end of three years after making applica- 
tion, admitted to the training for Mastership. Thus, in 
many cases, as in the case of Jesus, the training was a mat- 
ter of twenty-one years; and it is from this that the three 
sevens has become a sacred number. 

Only after starting on the training were the students al- 
lowed to participate in the common meals of the Order, 
which were celebrated with great solemnity and constituted 
one of the inner services of the Essenes, for each meal was 
a sacrament. The garment they wore was a white, flowing 
robe; and these, since they wore them only during these 
sacraments, were considered sacred. These fraternal love- 
feasts, the type after which Jesus instituted his "Lord's 
Supper, ' ' were begun and ended by prayer. 

The Essenians taught the essential doctrines of both the 
Orphic and the Pythagorean Doctrines : the pre-existence 
of the soul, the consequence and reason of its immortality. 
According to Josephus, they claimed that "the soul de- 
scending from the most subtle ether, and attracted into the 
body by a certain natural charm [or vibration], remains 
there as in a prison; freed from the bonds of the body, as 
from a long servitude, it joyfully takes its flight." This 
same doctrine was understood and taught by Jesus when he 
asked: "Who say they that I, the Son of Man, am?" They, 
the disciples, of whom some were Essenians, replied : "Some 
say that thou art John the Baptist, some Elias, and others 
Jeremias, or one of the prophets. ' ' 

"Among the Essenes, the brothers lived under a com- 
munity of property, and in a condition of celibacy, cultivat- 
ing the ground, and, at times, educating the children of 
strangers. The married Essenes [to whom Mary belonged] 
were a class affiliated with and in subjection to the other, 
[as is the Temple of Illuminati affiliated with the Rosicru- 
cian Fraternity and under its direction]. Silent, gentle, 



32 The Son of God 

and grave, they were to be met with here and there, culti- 
vating the arts of peace. Carpenters, weavers, vine-plant- 
ers, or gardeners, never gunsmiths or merchants. Scat- 
tered in small groups about the whole of Palestine, and in 
Egypt, even as far as Mount Horeb, they offered one an- 
other the most complete hospitality. Thus we see Jesus and 
his disciples journeying from town to town, and from prov- 
ince to province, always certain of finding shelter and lodg- 
ing. 

"The Essenes were of an exemplary morality, they 
forced themselves to transmute passion and anger [into be- 
nevolence, peace of mind and power to help others] . Their 
word was more powerful than an oath, which, in ordinary 
life, they looked upon as superfluous, and almost as per- 
jury. They endured the most cruel of tortures, with ad- 
mirable steadfastness of soul and smiling countenance 
rather than violate the slightest religious' precept. [And of 
this we have an example in the crucifixion of Jesus.] 

"From the Essenes Jesus received what they alone could 
give him : the esoteric tradition of the prophets, and by its 
means, his own historical and religious tendency or trend. 
He came to understand how wide a gulf separated the of- 
ficial Jewish doctrine from the ancient wisdom of the initi- 
ates, the veritable mother of all religions, though ever per- 
secuted by the spirit of evil, of egotism, hatred, and denial, 
allied with absolute political power and priestly imposture 
[as indeed were all other ritualistic religions] . He learned 
that Genesis, under the seal of its symbolism, concealed a 
theogony and cosmogony as far removed from their literal 
significance as is the profoundest truth of science from a 
child's fable. He contemplated the days of Aelohim, or 
the eternal creation by emanation of the elements and the 
formation of the worlds, the origin of the floating souls, 
and their return to God by progressive existence or genera- 
tions of Adam. He was struck with the grandeur of the 
thought of Moses, whose intention had been to prepare 
the. religious unity of the nations by establishing the wor- 
ship of the One God, and incarnating this idea into a people. 



The Mystical Teachings of the Masters 33 

"All these secrets which the patriarchs [masters] of the 
Essenes unfolded to the young Galilean on the solitary 
banks of the Dead Sea, in lonely Engaddi, seemed to him 
wonderful, but yet known, for in the past he had known the 
truths taught. It was with no ordinary emotion that he 
heard the chief [Master] of the Order comment on the 
words still to be read in the Book of Henoch [48 and 61] : 
'From the beginning the Son of Man was in the mystery. 
The Father kept him near his mighty presence, and mani- 
fested him to his elect. . . . But the kings shall be afraid 
and shall prostrate themselves to the ground with terror, 
when they shall see the Son of Woman seated on the throne 
of his glory. . . . Then the elect shall summon all the 
forces of heaven, all the saints from on high and the power 
of God; and the Cherubim, the Seraphim, and the Opha- 
nim, all the angels of Might, all the angels of the Lord, of 
the elect, and of the other Might, serving on earth and 
above the waters, shall raise their voices. ' 

"Jesus submitted to the discipline of the Essenes, studied 
with them the secrets of nature, and the occult power of 
healing. To develop his soul, he gained entire mastery over 
the body. Not a day passed without self-questioning and 
meditation on the destiny of humanity. ' ' [For this helped 
to awaken his conscience.] 

It was a glorious day for him and for the others of the 
Brotherhood as well, when he received the highest teachings 
that the Order could give him, and when at last, instead 
of being the student, he became the master over that mighti- 
est body of men then known to man. Henceforth he was 
free, master over his own actions, and recognized as the Su- 
preme Hierophant of that Order which had taught him all 
the mysteries of both life and death. He had henceforth 
no master but his own conscience and the Christ within, 
which he had awakened, and which he had become, when he 
received Divine Illumination. 

Ever since his consciousness had sprung to life, he had 
found God within himself: for the fact that "Ye are the 



34 The Son op God 

temples of the living God," had become manifest to him as 
had the certainty of the kingdom of heaven in the radiant 
beauty of his visions. Then came the suffering of humanity 
which had filled his heart with the awful outpour of its 
anguish. The wise Essenes had taught him the secret of 
religions and of the mysteries; they had shown him the 
spiritual decadence of humanity, and its expectation of a 
savior. But how could he find the strength needed to rescue 
it from the pit ? And now, the direct call of John the Bap- 
tist fell on the silence of his meditations like a thunderbolt 
from Sinai — Am I to be the Messiah? 

Jesus, now become the Christ, could answer the question 
only by the inmost meditation. Hence he retreated into 
the wilderness on the forty days' fast as recorded in the 
Gospels. The temptation in reality represents in the life 
of Jesus this great crisis, this grand and sublime vision of 
truth, which all prophets, all religious Initiates, must in- 
variably experience before beginning their work. 

Thus did Jesus find himself in the cave of Engaddi, 
where all Initiates of the Order went for the final test. In 
his supreme suffering he cried unto the Most High God : 

"By what sign, my Father, shall I overcome the pow- 
ers of Earth?" 

And the voice from within and from above answered : 

"By the sign of the Son of Man." 

' ' Show thou me this sign, ' ' cried the Son of Man. 

Away in the horizon appeared a shining constellation, a 
rose, looking like stars in the sign of the cross; for there 
never can be a cross without the sign of life, and the sign 
of life is always the rose. 

"The Nazarene recognized the sign of ancient Initiation, 
familiar to Egypt and preserved by the Essenes. When 
the world was young, the sons of Jophet had worshipped 
it as the sign of earthly and heavenly fire, the sign of life 
and all its joys, of love with all its wonders. Later, the 
Egyptian Initiates had seen in it the symbol of the Great 
Mystery, trinity dominated by unity, the image of the sacri- 
fice of the Ineffable Being who breaks himself in order to 



The Mystical Teachings of the Masters 35 

manifest himself in the universe. Symbol at once of life, 
death, and the resurrection, it covered innumerable temples 
and tombs. 

"The brilliant cross grew larger and came nearer, as 
though attracted by the heart of the Seer. The four bril- 
liant stars [the rose] shone forth like suns of light and 
glory. 'Behold the magic sign of life and immortality!' 
said the heavenly voice within. 

" 'In ancient times it was in the possession of men, now 
it is lost. Willt thou restore it to them?' 

"•'I will,' said the Christ. 

"Strong in the gift of his very being, he now came to 
share with men this kingdom of heaven which he had won 
by meditation and by work, in torments of pain and bound- 
less joy. He came to rend asunder the veil that had been 
cast over the ancient religion and that hid the new from 
view. He came to say: 'Believe, love, and act according 
to your belief and your love. Do deeds, rest not upon mere 
faith, for faith without works is dead. Beyond this earth 
there is a world of souls, a more perfect life. This I know, 
for I came from there; thither will I lead you. But mere 
aspiration for that world is not enough. To attain it, you 
must begin to realize it here and now, first in yourselves, af- 
terwards in humanity. ' ' 

He did not say that he was the Messiah, but discoursed 
in the synagogues concerning the laws and the prophets. 
He preached to the fishermen, by the fountains, in the oases 
of verdure abounding everywhere. He healed the sick by 
laying on of hands, or by a mere look or command, often 
by his presence alone; for it was by seeing suffering, dis- 
eased humanity, that the inner being was first aroused with- 
in him. 

"Jesus went about in all Galilee teaching in their syna- 
gogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom [of 
heaven] , and healing all manner of sickness and all manner 
of disease among the people. And his fame went through- 
out all Syria; and they brought unto him all sick people 
that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and 



36 The Son op God 

those which, were possessed with devils, and those which 
were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and he healed 
them." Matt 4:23-24. 

"The men of Capernaum knew him, and sent unto all 
that region round about, and brought unto him all that 
were sick; and wherever he entered, into villages and into 
cities, or into country, they laid the sick before him in the 
market places and besought him that they might touch if it 
were but the border of his garment ; and as many as touched 
him were made whole. 

"There came unto him great multitudes, having with 
them the lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, 
and they cast them down at his feet : he healed them inso- 
much that the multitudes wondered, when they saw the 
dumb speaking, the maimed whole, and the lame walking 
and the blind seeing ; and they glorified the God of Israel. ' ' 

"I and my Father are one." 

This expression means the same as "God in me and I in 
you. ' ' By virtue of the union of men with the source of life 
and power, which comes to all men when they have found 
the Christ, as all must do if they will follow the instructions 
given by Jesus, man may heal the sick as he did ; for did he 
not say : 

"All things are possible to him that believeth." 

There is no qualification to this statement ; he said plainly 
that all things are possible to him that believeth. But this 
means that, if we believe in the laws that he taught, we will 
be willing to do as he did — we must think right, act right, 
and speak right. Besides this, like him, we must make de- 
liberate efforts to reach the Christ Consciousness, or Soul 
Consciousness ; for only through this consciousness can man 
acquire the power to do these things. 

In all respects, the Essenes taught exactly what Jesus 
taught during his ministry, and much of that which is now 
being taught by their successors, the Rosicrucian Fraternity 
and its branch, the Temple of the Illuminati. 



The Mystical Teachings of the Masters 37 



THE SON OF QOD AND HIS CHRISTIC TEACHINGS 

The teachings of Jesus deal largely with the "Son of 
man," and the "Son of God." According to the doctrine 
of Jesus, the "Son of man" is to become the "Son of God." 
The Son of man is the son of his earthly parents, endowed 
with the capability of becoming the Son of his heavenly 
Father. He was created by the Father in the beginning; 
and, though a son of man, he can, through the awakening 
of his mind, become the Son of God. In his teachings, Jesus 
deals with the aspirations of man toward the good. Good 
and worthy aspirations should be common to all men, and 
will help them in the realization of all worthy ambitions. 

The Son of man can truly become the Son of God. This 
idea stands out clearly throughout the four gospels; but 
nowhere is it expressed more clearly than in the conversa- 
tion with Nicodemus.* Jesus taught that man, besides be- 
ing conscious of a life born of the flesh of his father and 
mother, can also become conscious of a greater life — the life 
that becomes his through the Awakening. 

"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of 
water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom 
of God. 

' ' That which is born of the flesh is flesh ; and that which 
is born of the Spirit is spirit. 

"Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born 
again." St. John 3 :5-7. 

The body with its attendant personality, which we re- 
ceive at birth into the world of sense, is the man of flesh. 
But that which a man receives after he has used the Awak- 
ened Mind to free himself from bondage to the senses and to 
the unholy desires of the flesh, is born in him of the Eternal 
One, whom we call God. This is the conscious self in man ; 

*See "The Illuminated Faith; or The Christie Interpre- 
tation of St. Matthew. ' ' 



38 The Son of God 

it is the Soul; it is the "still, small voice" that speaks with- 
in; it is the knowledge, the realization, within the Center 
of Being, that man is Immortal. It is the consciousness 
of the Soul. Jesus said, in St. John 3 :8 : 

' ' The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the 
sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh and 
whither it goeth ; so is every one that is born of the Spirit. ' ' 

This, which is born of God in us, this Son of God in man, 
must be exalted within us, that we may obtain the true 
life. He said : 

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, 
even so must the Son of man be lifted up." 

The Son of man is the man of flesh, his nature is of the 
earth, so are his desires and his thoughts. Before he can 
know the Son of God and become like him, he must lift up 
the serpent; for the desires and the thoughts of the flesh 
are the serpent which Moses had to teach the children of 
Israel to lift up. 

He who lifts up this serpent, he who changes the thoughts 
and the desires from the earthly nature to the divine na- 
ture, will become the Son of God, and will know Him who 
is the Father. He who exalts, and prizes above everything 
else, the Son of God within himself, he who believes that 
eternal life is found in this divine element alone — he alone 
will be in perfect harmony with the laws of life; for the 
Conscious Being within is the light and the life of man, it 
is the Immortal Soul. 

"Verily, I say unto you, except a man be born of water 
and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. ' ' 

This is the doctrine of Regeneration. To be born of 
water is to have awakened to the fact that the earthly, or 
carnal, life is not the true, or the real, life. To become con- 
vinced of this fact we call the Awakening of the Mind; 
it is the Baptism with Water. He who has become awakened 
to this knowledge will then begin to use his Awakened Mind 
in the building of a Soul. All his thoughts and desires will 
be changed. Instead of seeking carnal pleasures he will 
seek for that which is higher. He will use his mind for eon- 



The Mystical Teachings of the Masters 39 

structive thoughts; and this will bring about the re-birth 
of the Spirit, or Fire, which is the Illumination of his soul. 

This is the development of the divine spark, or the di- 
vine spirit, in man. The spark of divinity is within all men, 
and only awaits the awakening, or the re-birth; then it is 
become the Christ. It was of this type of man that Jesus 
spoke when he said: "Ye are the temples of the living 
God," and again, "God in me and I in you." Without 
soul development, man cannot be "born again," nor can 
he be the temple of the living God ; for God can dwell only 
in that which has become purified, that which is born of 
the divine nature. 

According to the Christie Interpretation, water repre- 
sents truth received intellectually. Unless we first receive 
truth with the mind, we cannot believe in it ; but, unless we 
believe in something, we will not live and do accordingly. 
When the mind receives the truth, it is no longer a purely 
mortal mind; for it has awakened to a higher understand- 
ing, it is no longer bound by the carnal nature, but is open 
to the truths that belong to the divine nature. 

Awakening to the truth will cause the mind to hold 
thoughts which have to do with the construction of the di- 
vine nature. These thoughts will purify the soul, and will 
begin the development of the divine spark; this means that 
man has begun the building of a Soul that shall be Im- 
mortal. 

The new birth — which results in Consciousness of Soul or 
Baptism by Fire — signifies that the mind has assimilated 
the truth and that through the will man has used the truth 
as taught by the Divine Law in such a way that the truth 
has become his life. From this, results the victory of the 
soul over matter and the unholy desires of the carnal self; 
and the soul transforms the body into an instrument that 
can be used for the accomplishment of the work given him 
to do on the earth plane. 

He who is now the awakened man becomes master of the 
body. As he attains mastery over the body, which is the in- 
strument, he also becomes master over circumstances and 



40 The Son of God 

conditions over which he formerly had no control whatever. 

It is this mastery of the self that awakens the dormant 
faculties of man's being, opens the inner senses, and gives 
him intuitive insight into all truth, and a direct communion 
of soul with soul. Man then has become a Christ. This is 
the state of being, or of consciousness, of which Jesus spoke 
when he said : 

"Ye are the temples of the living God." 

Baptism by water is an intellectual baptism only, it is 
the awakening of the mind, it is the first step toward the 
accomplishment of the Great Work. Baptism by Fire, or 
the Holy Ghost, refers to the complete re-birth, the Con- 
scious Illumination of Soul, or becoming the Christ or the 
Son of God. It is the awakening of the divine spark with- 
in man through the intelligence and the will; consequently, 
it leads ultimately to a complete regeneration of the whole 
being. Through this, comes to man the power to do all 
things, the power of the Christ. "I can do all things 
through the Christ which strengtheneth me. ' ' 

Man is really a fourfold being: he is body, spirit, mind, 
and soul. The body is of the earth and must return to the. 
earth when he is through with it. The spirit is the life of 
the body, and, coming from the Universal Storehouse, must 
return thither when he has finished using it. The divine 
spark is directly from God; and, if he does not awaken it 
and build it into a Conscious Illuminated Soul, it will also 
return to God, the Infinite Storehouse from which it came. 
The mind is a combination of body, spirit, and soul; or 
rather, it is the result of the combination of the three. 

If man obeys the voice of the body, which is the carnal 
earthly being, he builds unto death; for in the flesh there 
can be no continued conscious existence. If he obeys the 
voice of the divine spark within, then does he build the 
great temple, the temple not made with hands, which is eter- 
nal. 

In speaking of the re-birth by water and by spirit, Jesus 
made allusion to a double transformation of the body. This 
regeneration must take place now, here on earth, before 



The Mystical Teachings op the Masters 41 

man passes through the stage called death. If he does not 
become ''born again" of the water and of the fire while in 
the flesh, there is no opportunity for such re-birth until 
he returns again to the earth plane. 

"Ye must be born again," even as I, the Christ, the typi- 
cal regenerate being, am said to have been born again, ' ' of 
water and of the spirit." Though in person born of the 
Virgin Mary — which is, conceived in purity, and of the 
Holy Grhost — the Christ is none the less man 's own soul and 
spirit restored to their original purity. 

•Born of the Virgin Mary, and hence conceived in purity, 
it was nevertheless necessary for Jesus, through acceptance 
of the teaching of John, and through the consequent bap- 
tism by water, or the Awakened Mind, to use this Awakened 
Mind in building the Soul and thereby in reaching Divine 
Illumination, which is the baptism of Fire, or the Holy 
Ghost. 

Jesus taught man to exalt above all else the Son of man — 
not merely to exalt him through words of praise to an in- 
visible G-od, but to exalt, to raise up, the Son of man, 
through constructive thoughts, pure desires, and worthy 
acts. 

He taught to this effect: "When ye lift up, or honor, the 
Son of man, ye will know that I speak nothing from my- 
self; for I speak not of myself but of the Father which 
sent me, He gave me a commandment that I should say and 
what I should speak. ' ' The Jews, not understanding these 
words, asked, "Who is the Son of man who is to be lifted 
up?" and Jesus answered them: "Yet a little While is the 
light in you. Walk while ye have the light, that darkness 
overtake you not; and he that walketh in the darkness 
knoweth not whither he goeth. " 

Jesus did not bid them to worship him, but to follow 
the light which is in man and which he taught them how to 
find. "I speak nothing of myself" was his teaching. "Lift 
up the Son of man," he said to them; but he told them 
plainly that he was not speaking of himself but of them. 



42 The Son of God 

All men are the Sons of man. In order that they may 
know the Christ, they must lift up themselves, they_must 
change themselves from men of senses to men of Soul. Car- 
nal desires must be changed, they must be lifted up, and 
become the desires of the Soul. 

The light that is in man is the conscience. The voice 
of the conscience speaks to all men unless it is totally de- 
stroyed through continued evil acts, when the light is no 
longer with man. Therefore it is necessary for man to heed 
this voice, this light, and to follow it while it is still to be 
heard; for, if he does not do so, the time will come when 
the voice will no longer be with him. 

To the question, "What does lifting up the Son of man 
mean ? ' ' Jesus answered, ' ' To live in the light that is with- 
in man." No instruction could be plainer; for all men, un- 
less the most degraded, know that there is something with- 
in man which accuses him when he does that which is not 
right. This is the light that is within man and it is this 
light which he must follow. As he obeys the voice, as he 
follows the light, so will it become stronger and stronger 
until it is a light that lights him through all things. 

All true religion consists in this one thing: To live ac- 
cording to the best one understands. No man can do wrong 
and say that the light within sanctioned it; for the light 
comes from the divine spark, and the divine spark sanctions 
no wrong. This light, if obeyed, develops into the Christ. 
As we follow the light we also follow the Christ ; and with 
each good work, kind act, kind and loving thought, the 
Christ Child grows until at last he reaches manhood, and 
man has become the Son of Cod. From this light comes the 
conscience in man. The voice is the conscience. 

Speaking further of the light in which men are to walk 
while they have the light within them, in Luke 2 :35, Jesus 
says: 

"Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be 
not darkness ; ' ' and in Matt. 6 :23, he says : 

"If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how 
great is the darkness ! ' ' 



The Mystical Teachings of the Masters 43 

The light can be darkened only through evil thoughts 
and evil deeds. If we follow the leading of the light, then 
does the light become brighter and brighter, and it leads 
to all good things. To follow the light means to hold pure 
thoughts, constructive thoughts, to do such deeds as will not 
only lead us upwards but will bring neither harm, loss, nor 
pain to a living being. Whereas, if the thoughts are evil 
and destructive, if our acts consider only the self for the 
time being and bring pain, loss, misery, and sorrow upon 
others, then are we continually darkening the light that is 
within us; and, if evil is persisted in, this ends in total 
darknes of the light. And how great is the darkness ! For 
when once this darkness is complete, then has the divine 
spark been so completely covered with evil as to have lost 
the individuality it might have possessed in that human be- 
ing; thus it only awaits the release that enables it to re- 
turn to the Father whence it came and to enter once more 
on its mission in another life. 

Before and since the time of Jesus on the earth, all true 
teachers have taught that there is within man a divine light, 
the light of reason; that it alone should be followed, be- 
cause in it alone can good be found. This was the teachings 
of the other Masters before Jesus, such as Brahmin, the 
Jewish prophets, Confucius, Socrates, Marcus Aurelius, 
and others. And when man follows this light and the di- 
vine laws as taught by the Masters, he is on the Path that 
will lead to Christhood. 

The religious and the philosophical teachings of all times, 
all the systems with which mankind is acquainted, that of 
the Hebrews, of Confucius, of Buddha, Brahma, of the Gre- 
cian sages — all these are concerned with the regulation of 
man 's life. 

The entire intellectual activity of man should be cen- 
tered in one thing — the working out of reason, of the ideas 
of good. Eeason, which enlightens life and guides our con- 
duct, is no illusion; it cannot be explained away. "Fol- 
low reason, illuminated by the divine light within, and at- 
tain welfare, not only of the self but of others," has al- 



44 The Son of God 

ways been the doctrine of all true teachers of mankind; 
it is the whole teaching of Jesus. 

In giving the people the Divine Law, Jesus gradually 
taught them the truth as it was given to him. He main- 
tained silence concerning himself unless he was asked di- 
rectly. He told the people that the kingdom of heaven 
was at hand, that the Messiah would soon come. And now, 
after many centuries, how absurd to believe that he meant 
other than that the kingdom of heaven would come to those 
who should obey the Divine Law as he taught it; to those 
who, through development of the soul within, should find 
the kingdom within ! For no one can find the kingdom of 
heaven unless he has first found the Christ through obedi- 
ence to the Divine Law, and that means Soul Illumination, 
it means total Regeneration. 

The kingdom of heaven did not come in a material sense ; 
but it did come to all those who followed his instructions 
and who had found the Christ within themselves, as it will 
come to all those who now follow the same instructions. 

In this connection, the saying of Jesus should be remem- 
bered : * ' Ye are the temples of the living God. ' ' And where- 
in can be the kingdom of heaven but where the Father 
dwells? If the body of man, when regenerated, is the 
temple of the living God, then must God dwell therein, and 
where God dwells there is heaven. 

Matthew Arnold helped to make this mystery plain when 
he wrote : 

' ' Once read thy own breast aright, 
And thou hast done with fears ; 

Man gets no other light, 

Search he a thousand years, 

Sink in thyself ! There ask 

What ails thee — at that shrine. ' ' 

Within man is to be found all that is, all that he may 
need, and all that he can desire. But before he can find 
this within, he must use the reason and the mind that he 



The Mystical Teachings of the Masters 45 

has, and build up the temple so that the light within him 
may shine and point the way to "the truth, the way, and 
the life." 

Man seeks knowledge, happiness, health, success, peace, 
and love outside of himself. He expects to find it in the 
world of sense, only to be disappointed ; and he seeks again 
and again, only to be disappointed again and again. These 
things cannot come from without. They must come from 
within; and when man once begins to use his thoughts 
aright, to direct his desires properly and to search within, 
then will he find all these things which he has so long been 
seeking from without in the senses of the flesh, where there 
is nothing to be found but the illusions of the flesh, and the 
fleeting moments of pleasure with the resultant hours of 
pain. 

Browning sang : 

' ' Truth is within us all ; it takes no rise 
From outward things, whate'er we may believe, 
There is an inmost center in us all 
Where truth abides in fulness; but around, 
Wall upon wall, the gross flesh hems it in. ' ' 

In the Center of Being, which is the Soul, is all truth to 
be found because it is a part of God, and therefore in direct 
communion with the fount of all knowledge. However, be- 
fore we can go to this fount of knowledge, which is like a 
spring of water in the ground, we must break the gross 
flesh away, just as we would need to make a way to the 
spring in the ground. 

This means that the flesh, which is the Son of man, must 
be lifted up. It means a process of change, a transmutation 
of the gross into the fine. This we can accomplish if we 
listen to the truth and obey the Divine Law. No man can 
find the fount unless he listens to this Law and obeys it ; for, 
just as long as the unhallowed desires of the carnal man 
are gratified, just that long will the gross flesh continue to 
hem in the fount of truth. 



46 The Son of God 

In the Epilogue to "Honest Man," by Beaumont and 
Fletcher, we find : 

"Man is his own star; and the soul that can 
Render an honest and a perfect man 
Commands all light, all influence, all fate; 
Nothing to him fails early or too late. ' ' 

In this, is the conviction that we are the masters of our 
fate; that the Soul, when once builded, is the star that 
leads us to all things ; the Soul that has become illuminated, 
through the instrumentality of the body, will be able to 
master all things. 

The body is the ship of which the soul is the captain ; and 
there is not a sea over which this ship, with this captain, is 
not able to sail. 

"We are then truly masters of our fate. It rests with us 
what we will to be. It rests with us what we will, or will 
not, do. With us is the responsibility; for, if we will, we 
can accomplish all things. 

All those who have reached Soul Consciousness have 
taught the same great truths. They have been in different 
walks of life: one a lonely carpenter; another a cobbler; 
another a laborer on the farm; and still another a poet. 
But each and every one of these has taught the one sublime 
truth, that within man is to be found all power if he will 
only overcome himself. 

The apostles were always whispering to one another : " It 
is he!" and repeating the same to others. But Jesus, with 
gentle dignity, simply called himself "the Son of man." 
This title indicates that he was, as are all, the Son of man, 
but that he had found within himself the Christos, which 
is the Illuminated Soul, and that he was conscious of being 
the temple of the living God. He was conscious therefore 
of being a messenger to suffering humanity and of having 
a message, which, if obeyed, would lead them also to the 
Father and enable them to find the Christos within. 

To the claim that he was the Son of man, he added : ' ' The 
foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests; but 



The Mystical Teachings of the Masters 47 

the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." Influ- 
enced by the popular Jewish tradition concerning the Mes- 
siah, the simple hopes of the disciples conceived of the 
kingdom of heaven as being a political government, of 
which Jesus would be the crowned king and they the min- 
isters. To combat this idea and radically to transform it, 
revealing to the apostles the true Messiah, the spiritual roy- 
alty; to communicate to them the sublime truth he called 
the Father, the supreme force he called the Spirit, mysteri- 
ously uniting all souls with the invisible ; to show them and 
all mankind, by his work, life, and death, that he was a true 
Son of God; to leave them and all mankind the conviction 
that they were all his brothers and could join him if they 
wished; and, finally, to interpret to them, only after open- 
ing to their longing eyes the whole mystery of the Divine 
Illumination, an Illumination in which all men might share 
— this was the work that Jesus desired to do. 

The Son of man and the Son of God are one. According 
to the doctrine of Jesus, the highest manifestation of God 
is he who, in constitution, form, intelligence, and work, is 
become the image of the universal Creator; he whose fac- 
ulties, through obedience to the Divine Law, have become 
like those of the Father. 

"Why is it that we, though Sons of God, know not our 
Father? Let the answer to this question be according to 
Isaiah 59 :2-ll : 

"Your iniquities have separated between you and your 
God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will 
not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood and your 
fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your 
tongue hath muttered perverseness. None calleth for jus- 
tice, nor any pleadeth for truth ; they trust in vanity, and 
speak lies ; they conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity. 
. . . Their works are works of iniquity, and the act of 
violence is in their hands. Their feet run to evil, and they 
make haste to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are 
thoughts of iniquity ; desolation and destruction are in their 
paths. The way of peace they know not; and there is no 



48 The Son of God 

judgment in their goings; they have made themselves 
crooked paths; whosoever goeth therein shall not know 
peace. Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth 
righteousness overtake us: we wait for light, but behold 
obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness. We 
grope for the wall like the blind, yea, we grope as they that 
have no eyes ; we stumble at noon day as in the twilight ; 
among them that are lusty we are as dead men." 

Here we have the reason why man does not know his 
God ; why he does not know that he is a Son of God ; and, 
consequently, why he is a poor human weakling, the victim 
of fate, the slave of every passion that is capable of giving 
pleasure even for a moment. 

His hands are defiled with blood, not the blood of crea- 
tures which are in a less advanced stage of growth than he 
and which have not the divine spark within, but the blood 
of his fellow beings — beings who, very often, are farther 
advanced than he himself, and may even have attained Soul 
Consciousness. 

He has on his hands the blood of beings who are equal 
with himself and who, like him, are the Sons of man and 
who might become the Sons of God. He has on his hands 
the blood of the innocent ; for he exploits the innocent in 
order to gain profit therefrom. 

His lips speak lies in the hope of receiving benefit there- 
by ; for through lies and through the subtlety of his tongue 
does he rob the neighbor whom he is commanded to love. 

Through violent methods he obtains that which does not 
belong to him. Nothing is too brutal for him to attempt to 
do so long as it will bring him either pleasure or profit ; and 
all this, not because he is striving for something eternal, but 
for that which gratifies for the passing moment only. 

The man of flesh cares not for peace. No attempt does 
he make to gain the peace that all men should seek. He 
glories in war, in contention, in brutality, in exploitation of 
the innocent. All to him are but as prey ; and he preys up- 
on them as does the wild beast upon the quivering flesh. 



The Mystical Teachings of the Masters 49 

And yet, he is the son of man, with the possibilities of be- 
coming the Son of God. However, he has not yet developed 
to that stage wherein he is truly man, and wherein he seeks 
for that which will give pleasure not only to himself but to 
others as well. 

Not yet has he learned to know that there is pleasure only 
in that which gives benefit not only to the one but to the 
many ; that there is profit only in that which profiteth the 
many as well as the one. When he comes to know this, he 
will seek for true profit, which robs no one, but gives to the 
many ; for true pleasure gives pain to no one, but gladness 
to all that share in it. For, when his mind awakens to the 
truth, he will learn the right use of all things. His eyes 
will open to the truth ; he will seek the ways of truth, know- 
ing that in the ways of truth he will not be groping in 
darkness, but will be walking in the path of light. 

The path of light leads to life. Only in the Illuminated 
Soul which is created by the Awakened Mind, is there true 
life, for this life is not for a day, but for eternity. 

Two thousand years ago, John the Baptist said to men: 
' ' The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand, 
bethink yourselves, and believe in the Gospels," Mark 1:15, 
and "And if ye do not bethink yourselves ye will perish," 
Luke 13 :5. 

But men did not listen to these admonitions ; and the de- 
struction foretold has continued from that time on to this, 
and will continue until men learn to obey this command, 
which is a Divine Law. 

The time is now, those that desire progress and regenera- 
tion must obey the Law. Not only is it necessary to have 
faith in the Law, but it is necessary to live in harmony with 
its requirements. 

The millions are perishing, going toward destruction. All 
about us there is war, truly the blood of the innocent is up- 
on the hands of men. For the sake of personal ambition, 
nation is warring against nation, and thousands are going 



50 The Son op God 

down in the path of deterioration, having the blood of their 
fellow men on their hands. 

Others are taking advantage of those who are still the 
slaves of circumstances. Some of these are caged up un- 
der ground ; others, in the wilderness of woods ; others, little 
children, in factories unfit for the lowest beast of the field. 
All those who exploit these helpless ones have the blood of 
the innocent upon their hands and therefore cannot know 
their God. 

Unless man bethinks himself he shall perish. To bethink 
himself is to become awakened to the truth; for man does 
not bethink himself unless he first sees that the life he is 
living is irrational, unless he sees that the life of the senses 
is but a temporal life. 

When he awakens to the truth, when he bethinks himself, 
then will he consider the Divine Law as taught by Jesus. 
Then will he ask himself whether it is right, under any 
plea, to contemplate the murder of man; and as he be- 
thinks himself he will remember the Law : ' ' Thou shalt not 
kill." And as he continues to reflect he will know that 
whatever brings profit to one and works harm to another is 
under condemnation of the Law that says : ' ' Thou shalt not 
steal." And he will be forced therefore to desist. As he 
awakens more and more, so will he bethink himself more 
and more; thus will he gradually come to understand the 
Divine Law and to work in harmony with it. 

As he does this, so will his inner faculties awaken. He 
will begin to use them as the child begins to walk; and, 
gradually, as he continues to obey the Divine Law and gains 
strength and grows into Sonship, so will he find that there 
is a pleasure without pain, a profit without robbery, and a 
life without murder. 

Each man is responsible to God for his acts. No man can 
plead that he has been forced to do wrong by some one else. 
To make this plea is but to admit that he is the slave of cir- 
cumstances. And no man can be the slave of circumstances 
or of some one else, unless he is first of all a slave to himself, 
to the carnal self, to the man of flesh. 



The Mystical Teachings of the Masters 51 

He who pleads guilty to slavery to the self, the carnal 
desires, pleads guilty to all else ; for that man still lives the 
life of the flesh. Amd in the flesh there is not life, but 
death. 

The first step to freedom is to become master of the self ; 
to free the real man from the carnal desires. For it is these 
desires that lead a man to rob, to kill, to lie, to exploit the 
innocent, and to commit other wrongs, which in the nation 
leads to war, rapine, murder, and other crimes. 

It is therefore necessary that salvation, or the new life, or 
regeneration shall come to the world through the individual. 
It is only as the individual learns the truth and obeys the 
Divine Law that the nation can be saved; for when the in- 
dividual learns the Law, and obeys it, he refuses to live as 
he lived before. And through the example of the one will 
others come to do as he does. 

No man can plead that he has been forced to war against 
his fellow man. The Divine Law recognizes no such thing 
as compulsion; and man is held responsible for what he 
does because he has been given free-will to do or not to do. 

He cannot plead force, for he is given a mind with the 
faculty of reason. He must ask himself the question, Is it 
right to do this, is it right to do that ; and if the answer in- 
dicates that it is not right, then he must refuse to do it. He 
must refuse to do it even though he may lose the life of the 
body ; for ' ' he who loses his life shall gain it. ' ' 

He who has awakened to the truth, whose mind has be- 
come imbued with the Divine Law, will recognize nothing 
but his duty to man. He will obey the Laws of the Father, 
as does the workingman obey the directions of the one who 
is above him and gives the orders. He knows that the 
Father understands; and the voice within tells him that it 
is well, and he obeys. His is not a blind faith ; for he walks 
not in darkness, but walks in the light. And the light 
teaches him all things; for the light comes from God, be- 
cause it is the light of the Father. 

For this reason, no man who knows the Father can up- 
hold destruction of life, whether guilty or not. He knows 



52 The Son of God 

that all life is sacred and that no life can be taken without 
incurring penalty upon the guilty one. For this reason, 
the man who has awakened, who has found the Path that 
leads to Divine Illumination, cannot uphold war. War is 
not made right simply by being sanctioned by organized 
society, which is called a government, but which in itself is 
composed of individuals who are themselves personally re- 
sponsible to God, and who, though combined, have no more 
right to sanction murder than has the individual man who 
stands alone. 

Might, under the Divine Law, does not make right. And 
it is just as evil, just as destructive to the soul, for many 
men in combination to commit wrong as it is for one man 
alone. 

"Thou shalt not kill," has come down to us from the 
ages; for the Law holds that he who takes life shall lose 
his own life. No one can go contrary to the Divine Law 
without suffering its extreme penalty. 

"Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, 
Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in 
danger of judgment; but I say unto you, that whosoever is. 
angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger 
of the judgment; and whosoever shall say to his brother, 
Raca, shall be in danger of the council ; but whosoever shall 
say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if 
thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that 
thy brother hath aught against thee, leave there thy gift 
before the altar, and go thy way ; first be reconciled to thy 
brother and then come and offer thy gift. Agree with thine 
adversary quickly, whilst thou art in the way with him ; lest 
the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into 
prison. Verily, I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means 
come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farth- 
ing." Matt. 5:21-26. 

Not only shall we not kill, but we shall not have anger 
against any one. To be angry is not only to hurt those 
against whom we hold anger, but it is a passion that creates 
a poison within our own organism. This poison we diffuse 



The Mystical Teachings of the Masters 53 

through the whole being, creating inharmony, sickness, 
failure, and often the beginning of conditions that tend 
toward disintegration. 

Anger is of the negative side of life, it is an evil. There- 
fore it is said to be "of the devil," because the devil per- 
sonifies all that is destructive, all that leads not to life but 
to death. Holding anger against any one in itself results 
in "the judgment," because it brings harm to ourselves. 
And it must be remembered that injury and harm to one- 
self is evil as truly as injury and harm to another. 

This also has direct reference to those who, under the 
guise of religious authority, bless men that go to war, as 
truly as to those who themselves go into the field to take the 
life of their fellowmen. Those who actually enter war are 
often under some mistaken idea of right and justice, even 
led so to believe by men who would profit directly by such 
authorized murder. 

If a man has aught against his brother, not only the 
brother of the flesh, but any one of the human family, his 
gift, which may be a prayer to the Father, cannot be ac- 
cepted by Him until he has first made peace with the 
brother. 

No man can hold two contrary emotions in his heart at 
the same time. It is impossible to hold the love of God in 
the heart and at the same time to entertain hatred or the 
desire to do evil to any man. So long as there is an inclina- 
tion to bring harm to any of the human family, just that 
long will one's gift not be acceptable to God. Before prayer 
can be acceptable to Him who is All Love and who will not 
even punish those that hate Him, it must be freed from all 
desire to bring pain or suffering or misery to one of His 
creation. 

But, says the seeker, what shall take the place of war in 
righting the wrongs committed by one nation against an- 
other? The answer to this is really easier than it might 
seem; for war, which is in itself one of the greatest evils, 
will never right another evil. Corrective methods should be 
made use of in righting all wrongs. 



54 The Son of God 

A corrective method can be found in the absolute shun- 
ning of the nation that is in the wrong until such time as 
she will make right the wrong. Practically all nations claim 
to be Christian — that is, to uphold the teachings of Jesus; 
but if they were truly Christian they could not for a mo- 
ment uphold wars. The only thing for Christian nations 
to do, when one of them does that which ordinarily would 
cause war, is completely and absolutely to cut all relations, 
business or otherwise, with that nation; for no nation, no 
matter how great, could bear being an outcast, having the 
mark of Cain upon itself, for any length of time. 

You say this could not be done because it would interfere 
with business, work hardships, and lead to other difficul- 
ties. But really is this not done when there is war between 
nations? Besides this, is there not the vast expense of 
maintaining the war, and a vast amount of loss of useful 
lives? These two items — the shedding of blood and the 
robbing of people in order to maintain war — could be 
avoided, and the correction would be accomplished much 
sooner. 

Take the murderer, for instance, set a mark upon him 
and free him so that mankind may know him to be a mur- 
derer. That man could not live among mankind for one 
month even though no man laid hands upon him. At first 
he might seem haughty; but every glance directed at him 
would have its effect. Though it might not really be true, 
he would think the glance was because of the mark upon 
him. "Within a few days, his mind would be in such a state 
that it would be utterly impossible for him to look any other 
human being in the face; and this punishment of living 
among humanity while still being an outcast from humanity 
would become unbearable within a month. 

So with the nation that is in the wrong. At first it might 
attempt to face ostracism; but within a short time its con- 
dition would become unendurable and it would be very glad 
to make peace with the nation with which it is at odds and 
to repair the wrong of which it is guilty. 



The Mystical Teachings of the Masters 55 

Corrective methods should be employed in dealing with 
nations as with the individual man. The men who bring 
about war are never the men who do the fighting, though 
this point seems to have been wholly overlooked throughout 
the past ages. 

Lamennais wrote thus: "Towards the close of his mission 
Jesus proclaims a new society and fixes its foundations. Be- 
fore him, nations were the possession of one or several 
masters, and belonged to these like so many herds. Every- 
where the tyrannical domination of a few, and the servitude 
of the rest oppressed in the name of force or under the inso- 
lent pretext of superiority of nature. Princes and grandes 
crused the world with all the weight of their pride and their 
rapacity. Then Jesus comes to put an end to this extreme 
disorder. He comes to lift the bowed-down heads ; to eman- 
cipate these multitudes of slaves. He teaches them that, 
equal before God, men are free in regard to each other? 
that no one has any intrinsic power over his brother; that 
equality and liberty, these divine laws of the human race, 
are inviolable ; that power henceforth can no longer be re- 
garded as right; that it must depend on the association 
which delegates to it a function, a service, a devotion, a kind 
of slavery accepted by love in view of the welfare of all. 
Such is the society which Jesus commands his disciples to 
establish amongst themselves." 

Is this the society that exists today? Is this doctrine 
which Jesus taught the one that rules the actions of men? 
Has this doctrine been made the law of life, of thoughts, of 
desires, of actions? Or has it been accepted purely as a 
matter of belief, a faith, one without works? To have these 
questions answered we need but look round about us. Every- 
where there is strife. Everywhere wars and rumors of 
wars, everywhere the hand of one man against the other. 
And that which is worse, everywhere the hand of the strong 
against the weak, those not able to protect themselves, even 
against women and children, who should not be warred 
against but should be protected by the strong. 



56 The Son of God 

After eighteen hundred years, society is still in the same 
state as when Jesus taught the Divine Law to men. In 
many ways, it is even worse ; for now has man advanced to 
a high state of development in so far as inventions are con- 
cerned. He is far better able to cope with the problems of 
life than in the foretime. But with all this, he is even 
more the brute than he was before, for now he knows the 
truth, but refuses to accept it. Now he knows that the 
innocent should be protected; but he exploits innocence 
and even makes tariff of it. 

He knows that womanhood is sacred ; but, instead of pay- 
ing homage to it, he curses it, debauches it, destroys it. In 
the foretime, men were taught that woman has no soul. 
But now man knows better, now he knows that she is equal 
with him, even greater than he; for she is not the coarse, 
brutal instrument of fate that he is. Yet, with all his 
knowledge, man has not become more humane, the self is 
not less ferocious, but is worse in many respects than it was 
before. 

But the time is fast coming in which great changes will 
be made. The masses will no longer be ruled by the few 
unless they are ruled wisely. The masses, the people, are 
beginning to learn of the Divine Law; they are beginning 
to recognize the fact that to do that which is not in har- 
mony with the Divine Law is to bring about its own pun- 
ishment. Once they have fully learned this, they will no 
longer obey external masters in anything if they know that 
it is not for the good of all humankind. 

The multitudes are beginning to seek for themselves. Up 
to this time, they have been willing to accept that which 
was given to them by those in authority, whether in matters 
of state, of law, of religion, or of economics. They are now 
beginning to awaken to the fact that there must be some- 
thing wrong when the worthy are ground in the dust ; when 
their sons are sent into the fields of war for that which does 
not in the least concern them ; when their daughters are be- 
ing sold by the thousands to the lowest forms of human life 



The Mystical Teachings op the Masters 57 

to be debauched, cursed, and cruelly destroyed; and when 
even their own wives are no longer protected. 

They are awakening to all these things; and, with the 
awakening, is coming a search for the knowledge that leads 
to freedom. Let a man learn that there is something radi- 
cally wrong in a condition, and that it should not be so, and 
he is ready to begin the search to find out what it is that is 
wrong, and wherein is the fault. This search may extend 
over a longer or a shorter period ; but, eventually, the search 
will end, and when he has found the remedy, you can trust 
him to use it. 

There is one thing to be deplored : when men universally 
find the remedy, the tendency will be for all authority to 
be thrown aside and for anarchy to reign supreme until he 
finds that unrestricted action results in as great an evil as 
wrongly restricted action ; but out of the turmoil will come 
obedience to Divine Authority and respect for wise leader- 
ship. 

The work of the true teacher is to lead man to understand 
his weakness and his strength ; to show him the action of the 
Divine Law ; to point out to him wherein he must be under 
guidance and wherein he must be free. Once man is taught 
this, then will he have become truly man and not the play- 
thing of circumstances. 

"A wonderful and horrible thing is come to pass in the 
land; the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear 
rule by their means ; and my people love to have it so ; and 
what will ye do in the end thereof?" Jeremiah 5 :30, 31. 

And this is true. Those who should teach the truth, the 
Divine Law, to the people are unwilling to do so because 
they fear that the people will forsake them. And why? Be- 
cause if the Divine Law is taught to the people, they will 
thereby learn that to obey the Law makes men free; but 
they will also learn that individual responsibility is in- 
curred by freedom. They must be taught that it is action 
which brings about results; that without a wrong action 
there can be no wrong result. No longer can they be taught 
that life is a matter of mere formal faith, that Immortality 



58 The Son of God 

and eternal life can be had through mere verbal faith ; but 
they must learn that the only price for which Immortality 
of Soul can be bought is right thought, right desire, and 
right action. 

Not an easy path is this to follow in the beginning, be- 
cause it demands work in addition to faith. But once the 
work is begun, once man, through his acts, has begun to 
bring about right conditions, then will it be just as easy to 
follow righteous works as it was formerly to follow un- 
righteous works. 

The priests of the people fear to teach the truth because 
there is danger that, if the people learn that faith in a creed 
can not save, they will forsake them (the priests). The 
priests suppose that only through hypocrisy can they hold 
the people to the church. This seems plausible, but is not 
true ; for works begin in faith. He that teaches man a true 
faith first, and then shows him how to put his faith into 
practice, will be the one by whom an enlightened people 
will stand. 

"Faith without works is dead." It is therefore neces- 
sary to have a faith that is founded on absolute truth, a 
faith founded on the Divine Law. To have a faith like this, 
results in work according thereto, and works in accord with 
a true, living faith will bring freedom from all bondage. 

' ' He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their hearts ; 
lest they should see with their eyes, and perceive with their 
hearts, and should turn, and I should heal them." John 
12 :40. 

It is the flesh with its carnal desires which blinds the 
eyes, the reason, of humankind. It is the flesh that desires 
this and that ; and, as the unhallowed desires of the flesh are 
obeyed, the voice of the soul is hushed. The man in au- 
thority takes great care to keep humanity living in the de- 
sires of the flesh only; for well does he know that, when 
man is freed from the unworthy desires of the flesh, he is 
also freed from slavery to others who profit by that slavery. 

The first step in freedom is therefore for man to free him- 
self from his own carnal, or fleshly, desires. When he has 



The Mystical Teachings op the Masters 59 

accomplished this, he will become free from all other unde- 
sirable conditions, from all bondage, no matter what may 
be its nature. It is Satan, that which is of the flesh, which 
blinds the eyes of the people; and it is the fear of taking 
an unfamiliar step that holds humanity back from advanc- 
ing in the light. 

"Be not afraid of them which kill the body, but are not 
able to kill the soul; but rather fear him which is able to 
destroy both body and soul. ' ' Matt. 20 :28. 

And who is it that can kill the soul? None can kill the 
soul within us except ourselves. Other men can take the 
life of the body from us ; but, if we allow them to take that 
life from us because we are enlisted in a righteous cause, 
we only gain thereby a greater life. Them we should not 
fear, no matter what they may attempt to do; but our own 
wrong thoughts, wrong desires, and wrong acts — these we 
should fear; for these end in destroying not only the body 
but the soul as well. 

Even though men may command us to do things which 
we know to be evil, we are not forced to obey. The extreme 
penalty of man-made laws may be loss of the life of the 
body; but much is gained through this. But if we do the 
things that evil-minded and self-interested men command 
us to do, we not only lose the life of the body but we destroy 
the soul as well. "Well does Matthew teach us not to fear 
him who might destroy the body, but to fear those things 
which are able to destroy both body and soul. 

And among the greatest of these evils is that which men 
call war; for it is here where we commit all those crimes 
which are strictly forbidden by the Divine Law. It is 
through obedience to carnal-minded men, often men with- 
out souls, whereby we do those things which destroy both 
body and soul; for the Divine Law does not allow us to 
plead compulsion. There is no compulsion recognized by 
the Divine Law since all men are individually responsible 
and have the privilege of either obeying or disobeying the 
commands of men. 



60 The Son of God 

Only God and the Divine Law are to be obeyed ; and man 
only when he is working in harmony with the Divine Law 
and for the good of mankind generally. The refusal of man 
to obey an unjust order even though he might thereby lose 
his life, was borne in mind by Jesus when he said : ' ' He 
that loseth his life shall find it. ' ' Matt. 10 :31. 

If all men, especially those who are called Christian and 
who claim to be followers of the lowly Nazarene, would re- 
fuse to bear arms against their fellowmen, war and blood- 
shed would soon be a thing of the past. 

The truth is, men never have been taught to obey the 
teachings given by Jesus, which we call the Divine Law; 
but, instead, they have been taught to have faith in Jesus, 
as a personality, and thereby to expect to be saved. This 
has given man full liberty to do all manner of evil, and all 
this with the sanction of the priests who are supposed to 
be the leaders of the people in the place of Jesus. For this 
reason, evil has been the ministering angel these thousands 
of years, and will continue to be until man awakens to the 
fact that, not through belief in a personality, no matter 
how sublime, is life given to him, but through living a life 
identical with the life of the great Master Jesus. 

Not through faith alone do we reach Immortality, but 
through obedience to the Divine Law and through conse- 
quent Illumination which obedience to the Divine Law gives 
to man. 

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay 
down his life for his friends." John 15:13. And who is 
our friend ? All men are to be classed as our friends. Each 
being belongs to the human family, and consequently each 
one should be a friend to the other. Hate cannot destroy 
relationship. Relationship is a thing that is, and always will 
be. And when we refuse to comply with man-made man- 
dates to go to war, then are we truly obeying the Divine 
Law; and if, through that act of refusal, our life is taken, 
then we have done the greatest thing that man can do — we 
have laid down our life that another may live. 



The Mystical Teachings of the Masters 61 

But, says the seeker, if you do lay down your life in that 
way, another will simply take your place. Granted. But 
we have nothing whatever to do with the actions of another. 
Each man is an individual. Each man is individually re- 
sponsible for that which he does. There can be no plea that 
he was forced to do thus and so. Nor can he set up the plea 
that others did so and so. He deals only with himself and 
his God, and is responsible only for himself and his acts. 
That which others do is not an example by which we can be 
saved. Our only guide is: "What says the Divine Law of 
my own Being ? ' ' Only in obedience to the Divine Law is 
there safety, only there will we find a guide to life, a guide 
to death, a guide to Immortality. 

"Thou shalt not kill" is a law that stands out in letters 
of fire; and no nation can be truly Christian so long as it 
upholds war. Nor is it possible for any man to be Christian 
while believing that wars are desirable ; for to be Christian 
is not only toi be a believer in the doctrine as taught by 
Jesus, but to be one who does as Jesus did. 

"For all they that take up the sword shall perish with 
the sword." Matt. 26:52. 

Here again we have the Divine Law, which is absolute 
and which clearly states that as we do to others we shall be 
done by. There is no qualification in this statement where- 
by one is released from the penalty. Considering the fact 
that for thousands of years nation has been against nation 
and man against man, can there by any wonder that the 
earth is one great field of groaning souls — souls which are 
wringing in misery, in sorrow, in trouble, in disease, and in 
failure ? 

And what is the base and the cause of all this misery? 
Simply the unholy desires of the self ; for each one that suf- 
fers has brought the suffering upon himself through dis- 
obedience to the Divine Law. 

Not only has this great principle reference to the one 
evil of taking the life of another, but it has equal reference 
to all actions of life. Just as he who takes life stands in 
danger of losing his life in the same manner, so he who 



62 The Son of God 

cheats stands in danger of being cheated by one on the same 
plane of being as himself. He who steals stands in danger 
of being stolen from by some one of no greater development 
than he ; and he who takes advantage of the weak stands in 
danger of receiving a similar injustice or of seeing one of 
his own loved ones suffer injustice at the hands of another. 

The Law is absolute, and no one can escape it, and no one 
can be free from these evils until he first frees himself from 
them. All of them are due to one 's own personal bondage 
to the unsanctified desires of the carnal self. 

It is not wrong to gratify desires for those things which 
bring no harm or sorrow either to the self or to others. Man 
is not forbidden pleasure that brings harm to none ; for he 
is not supposed to live in self-denial except in respect to 
things which can harm either the self or some one else. 

And in this do we find the standard for life. The stand- 
ard to place before oneself should be : I desire this thing, it 
will give me satisfaction, it will give me joy; but in the 
gratification will it hurt myself or will it hurt another or 
bring sorrow to another ? If the answer is that no harm is 
liable to result from it, then are we free to enjoy it. 

"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men 
should do to you, do ye even so to them. ' ' Matt. 7 :12. 

In this, we have the law and the prophets, for it is a com- 
plete code for action. Were men to obey this standard, 
there would be no hate, for no man desires to be hated. 
There would be no robbery, for no man desires to be robbed. 
There would be no murder, for no man desires to be mur- 
dered. There would be no exploitation, for no man desires 
to be exploited. There would be no profit made out of the 
innocent, for no man desires that those who are innocent 
and who are near to him shall be betrayed. Battlefields 
would be sown with the grains that give food to the mil- 
lions. Swords would be turned into plowshares. Jails would 
be turned into schools where the laws of life would be 
taught. Navy yards would become manufacturing places, 
while those who are at the head of the navy would be super- 



The Mystical Teachings of the Masters 63 

intendents over men who perform useful labor, labor which 
would be to the profit of mankind universally. 

Were this law obeyed, then men would seek to do the 
right; and seeking the right, they would be seeking the 
Christ, and soon would all men in truth be the Sons of God. 
As all men are equal before the Creator, all men should 
truly seek for the good of each other. In doing this, they 
would establish the universal brotherhood, and Christ 
would be ever among them. Religion, as now understood, 
would not be ; for all men would live as ordained by God, 
and consequently religion would be their habitual manner 
of life and their habitual type of thought. 

But the law that man has not yet been able to understand, 
is the fact that he must be subject to the principle of love 
and good- will to others. 

For this very reason, if man hates another even secretly, 
through the action of the Divine Law, or through the law 
that we call attraction, he will receive hatred from another. 
Under the same law, if a man cheats another, he will be 
cheated or suffer some loss in return for that which he did. 
Again, he that causes suffering to another will be made to 
suffer in some way. Indeed, his suffering will be greater; 
for he not only pays the debt he owes, but he also pays in- 
terest on the debt. 

This Law is absolute and covers every action of man. 
Whether he does good or ill, he will be sure to receive good 
or ill as the case may be. This is covered by the law that 
says: "He that taketh life by the sword shall perish with 
the sword." 

This being true, would it not be better for man to obey 
the Law in the first instance, and thus avoid the penalty? 
His advancement would be faster, his achievements and his 
pleasures greater, and there would be no old debts to pay. 

But men have been led to believe that the chief aim of life 
is to gain honor, fame, money, or the many other things 
usually thought of as bringing happiness. It is a mistake 
to consider this the chief aim of life. Man's highest duty 



64 The Son of God 

is service to those less advanced than he ; and, through ser- 
vice, will he achieve greater enlightenment, have greater 
pleasures, and obtain more power, although it may require 
a longer time, than if he labors only for the self. 

This one principle, ' ' Do unto others as ye would that they 
should do unto you," is the greatest of all. It includes all 
the commandments, and is the basis of true, undefiled re- 
ligion. There is nothing greater than this. 

Sixteen hundred years before the birth of Jesus, there 
was an Egyptian saying: "He sought for others the good 
he desired for himself. Let him pass on." 

This is a wise saying, and all men should heed it. If man 
would try to help others to obtain the things that he desires 
for himself, he would himself obtain them ; for we can do 
nothing for others, no matter what it may be, without shar- 
ing its benefits. Whether our deeds be good or ill, the prin- 
ciple is absolute that whatever we give to another we will 
receive for ourselves. 

Thirty-four hundred years prior to the present time, 
when the Hindu kingdom was being established on the 
Ganges, it was written : ' ' The true rule of business for men 
is to guard, and to do by, the things of others as they do by 
their own. ' ' 

"What a contrast between such a system of business and 
the present one. Then the interests of others were watched. 
Now, each man cares only for his own interests, and his af- 
fairs will he push forward, no matter how many millions 
are the victims in his path. Man cares not if he crushes out 
the life of unborn babes, if he sacrifices the virtue of the 
innocent, if he crushes the men who have the interest of 
their families at heart. His business, his profits, must be 
watched and carefully nurtured at the expense of all else. 
And what is there at the end of life for such? Darkness 
and death. Nothing can go with them, the profits remain 
for those to enjoy who had nothing to do with the accumu- 
lation. The body returns to mother earth; and the soul, 
less an individual than when it left the Father, returns to 
Him. 



The Mystical Teachings op the Masters 65 

Twenty-five hundred years ago, Lao Tzu wrote : "Requite 
injury with kindness. " "To the not good I would be good 
in order to make them good. ' ' 

Our penal code has forgotten all the divine laws, if in- 
deed it ever knew them. The Law of Hermes was ' ' As it is 
above, so is it below. ' ' According to this principle, the laws 
of the country and the state should be in harmony with the 
Divine Law, and therefore all methods of punishment 
should be corrective. But such today is not the case, the 
laws of the state and of the country are directly opposed 
to the Divine Law ; and the methods are not corrective but 
destructive. 

This does not mean that those who manifest criminal 
tendencies should be turned loose on society at large, but 
that jails and penitentiaries should be institutions of learn- 
ing — places where men are taught the principles of right 
and justice, where they are taught some useful labor, and 
where they are shown that the wages of sin is death. 

No criminal has ever been reformed through the brutality 
of modern methods of correction or punishment. The crim- 
inal is already bitter against organized society; and well 
he may be, for it is generally admitted that the methods of 
organized society are defective. To punish is not to arouse 
the better nature of him who is punished, and to make it 
sweeter. 

Man is an animal only so long as he is ruled by the animal 
senses ; but, when man once understands that it for his own 
best interests to change these animal tendencies, then is 
there hope of his reformation. This never comes about 
through the medium of fear; for fear holds men in check 
only so long as they think there is something to fear. It 
must come through a system of training, the basis of which 
is love. Men can be appealed to through the better side of 
their nature, and taught that it pays them, individually 
and collectively, to hold the better side uppermost. 

You cannot make men good by being cruel to them, by 
showing hate in every glance, by giving them less to eat and 



66 The Son op God 

to wear than they need, and by caging them like some wild 
beast. You can make them good by being good to them, 
by showing them that there is that within them which is 
God-like but which they are now degrading. The profes- 
sional reformer cannot do this, for he attempts to do one 
thing while leading a life that is contrary to his actions. 
Such men manifest through the personality just what they 
are, and no one feels this quicker than the criminal. 

The Greeks in 1070 B.C. came yet nearer to the wording 
of Jesus: "Do not that to thy neighbor which thou would 
take ill from him. ' ' 

The law under which men live at the present time has 
nothing whatever to do with consideration for the other 
man, but only with consideration for the self. The question 
is not : What can I do for you ? but What can I get out of 
you? The Divine Law, and the Law under which all men 
must come sooner or later, is simple as to what is best for 
all. Understanding of the Law simply means knowing that 
exactly as we do to another, so will we be done by. This is 
true, not because God rewards or punishes, but because with 
every act we set into motion a law that affects us as directly 
as it does the one with whom we deal. 

This does not advocate that the laws under which men 
now live should be set at naught at once and without no- 
tice. That would mean anarchy and chaos. But men should 
be taught the Divine Law, and gradually they should re- 
place the present laws that are contrary to the divine laws 
with requirements and standards that are in harmony with 
the Divine Law. Only in this is there protection, and all 
things must proceed in an orderly manner. 

The Hebraic law taught this same truth. In a parch- 
ment, believed to have been the first inscribed some twenty- 
five hundred years ago, is to be found: "Whatsoever you 
do not wish your neighbor to do to you, do not that to him. ' ' 
Appended to it was this statement : ' ' This is the whole law. 
The rest is mere exposition of it. ' ' 

If this is a reliable index to their standards, it seems that 
the Hebrews of that far-off time were far wiser than are we 



The Mystical Teachings op the Masters 67 

of the present civilization; for they then recognized and 
taught that which mankind generally has ignored, namely : 
that all reform, no matter what its nature, begins with the 
individual. As the individuals so is the village ; as the vil- 
lages, so the county ; as the county, so the state ; and as the 
states, so the nation. 

If men would uphold this one rule, not merely according 
to the letter, but in actual practice, then they could do no 
wrong, either to themselves or to another ; and, being right 
themselves, they would not allow any law to be made that is 
out of harmony with the Divine Law. 

Confucius advised: "What you would not wish done to 
yourself, do not unto others." And this is but a re-state- 
ment of that taught by all the others. It is therefore true, 
that those who had received Illumination of Soul through 
obedience to the Law in thoughts, desires, and acts, state the 
same principle, no matter how distant in space or in time 
they lived one from the other. 

In the earliest known written manuscript of Ptah Hotep 
in Egypt five thousand five hundred years ago, thirty-five 
hundred and fifty years before the time of Jesus, is found 
this inscription: "If thou be among people, make for thy- 
self love the beginning and end of the heart. ' ' 

Just as he who lives by the sword shall die by the sword, 
so he who lives in love will die in love. The house that is 
erected upon a firm foundation shall stand firm against all 
storms, and that which is built upon the sand shall pass 
away with the first tempest. So the life in harmony with 
the Divine Law is sure to exist unto all eternity; for love 
is at once the beginning and the aim of life. In love, or 
through love, are all things possible, It is the path that 
leads from the beginning of the earth-life, or the experience- 
life, to Immortal Illumination, which is the eternal life. 

The Christian standard reads thus : ' ' Thou shalt love thy 
neighbor as thyself." It may seem that the word, neigh- 
bor, limits one's duty. But, in its broader sense, it means 
the same thing as that which Ptah Hotep taught ; for, if one 
can hold love in the heart for the neighbor, he is able to 



68 The Son op God 

have love for all mankind. Love is not limited as to person 
nor as to locality, nor as to race or creed. It is that which 
is in the heart, and it is universal. 

That love which is only for the neighbor at one's side is a 
selfish love because, as a rule, we love him only because he 
has been of some help, of some benefit, or profit to us; and 
such is not love of the neighbor, but love of the self — it is 
self-interest. 

At the first Buddhistic Council held at Rajagriha in 466 
B.C., the scribes almost duplicated the advice of Egypt's 
priest, in the writing : ' ' One should seek for others the hap- 
piness one desires for oneself. ' ' 

This is sound advice for this reason : Under the Divine 
Law we receive according to what we give another or help 
another to get; only that, through the reactionary princi- 
ple, we receive twofold. Consequently, when we seek to 
bring happiness to others, we set vibrations into motion 
which bring to us the very thing that we seek for others. 
The mere fact that others will not accept that which we de- 
sire to give them does not make void the Law. It is what 
we ourselves do that counts, and not what others do or what 
they accept. 

A century and a half before the time of Jesus, the law of 
Rome once more repeats the theme : ''The law imprinted on 
the hearts of all men is to love the members of society as 
themselves. ' ' 

Now, one may smile at Roman law, knowing how those 
at the head of society then used the people ; but the action 
of men in no wise offsets the truth stated. Because men 
do not obey a law does not nullify the law. The Law is, 
whether men obey it or not; and it works just as surely 
when men do not obey as when they obey. If they obey, 
theirs is the reward of the Law; if they disobey, theirs is 
the punishment of the Law. The Law simply is. 

Jesus himself declared the Golden Rule, so called because 
it is at once the head and the foundation of all Laws. 

"When Alexander of Macedon marched into Persia, 334 
B.C., he found there : "Do as you would be done by," which 
had been taught by Zoroaster. 



The Mystical Teachings op the Masters 69 

Since all countries and all ages have had such sublime 
statements of the Divine Law, why do we find men who ex- 
ist by robbing their fellowmen, by cheating, by sending 
others to war, by trading in the innocent? The answer is 
simplicity itself: men do these things because they believe 
it to be to their interest to do so. 

One thing, which more than anything else explains men's 
actions, is that they regard these standards as religious, as 
belonging to the church and those that have to do with the 
church. No longer caring for religion, they think that these 
principles do not apply to them. They must understand 
that divine laws are not limited to religion; that religion 
is not their author ; that they are practical conditions — con- 
ditions which are absolute in business and in all affairs of 
life because they are part of the Divine Order of the uni- 
verse. They must be led to understand that to violate any 
law of order and well-being — whether on the business, 
social, or economic plane — is to violate the Divine Law in 
that particular respect. 

Man must learn that these laws are more than religious 
as usually understood, that they are not mere church laws ; 
that they belong to no creed, no sect, no doctrine ; but that 
they are universal principles, which should control all 
things in life, and which will bring true happiness, true 
success, and all other desirable things to those that obey 
them. The law of gravitation is not thought of as a religi- 
ous law or code. The ethical law is as truly a law of the 
universe as is the law of gravitation. The principles of 
action are ethical or religious merely because they pertain 
to man in his relation to man. In their method and in their 
impartiality of operation, they function with as much pre- 
cision as do the laws of magnetism and gravitation or any 
other law on the physical plane. 

Religion should not be a creed, a dogma, something 
merely to believe in, it should be a mode of everyday life. 
Such a religion is, simply because it is life. People should 
understand that God is not afar off, a judge of our acts, 
one who either condemns or rewards us, but that He is the 



70 The Son of God 

Good that is in man, in each one. Jesus truly taught : "Ye 
are the temples of the living God." If people understood 
these things, conditions would be far different from what 
they are. 

And this good, this God in the temple of man, will be- 
come more and more known to man as he lives in harmony 
with the truth until finally he has become the Son of God, 
one with the Father ; one with the power of God ; one with 
Him as a sharer of all good things, including health, hap- 
piness, and success. 

Tolstoi, that master of the teachings of teachings, wrote : 

' ' The law of human life is of such a nature that the im- 
provement of life, of the individual as well as of society, is 
possible only by inward moral perfecting. "Whereas all the 
efforts of men to improve their life by external influence 
and coercion serve as the most effective propaganda and ex- 
ample of evil, and therefore fail not only to improve life 
but, on the contrary, increase the evil, which, like a snow- 
ball, continually grows larger and larger, and more and 
more powerful, and removes people from the only possi- 
bility of truly improving their life. 

"All things, therefore, whatsoever ye would that man 
should do to you, do ye even so unto them; for this is the 
law and the prophets. 

"When an evil occurs, as in the case when war is de- 
clared, all men are ready to take sides and when their loved 
ones are slain or worse, and the war is over, then they start 
to blame every one but the right one, namely, themselves. 
Men do not see that as they, singly, and collectively, uphold 
any form of law, they are each individually guilty of that 
very crime, provided it ends in crime as war always does. 
Men are prone to act for the worse and then blame others 
for it, when, had they followed the Golden Rule such a 
thing could not have occurred. It is thus with all people, 
even with the laborers. They are exhausted, crushed, en- 
slaved, only because, for some miserable advantage, they 
themselves ruin their own lives and the lives of their 
brothers. "Were each and every one to uphold the Golden 



The Mystical Teachings op the Masters 71 

Kuie, the working man would soon be one of the most in- 
dependent and favored of the gods, of all men. 

"Two thousand years ago a law of God became known 
to men, the law of reciprocity, that one should act unto 
others as one wishes to act to oneself. 

' ' This law is so simple, comprehensible to every one, and 
obviously gives the greatest welfare possible to man. And 
therefore it would seem that as soon as men had learned this 
law they ought immediately, as far as possible, to fulfil it 
themselves, and to use all their powers to teach this law and 
its fulfilment to the rising generations. 

"Especially would it seem that the men of our Christian 
world ought to act thus, recognizing as they do, as the chief 
divine revelation, that gospel in which it is explicitly taught 
that in this law ' is all the law and the prophets ; ' that is, all 
the teachings that are necessary for man, or for the salva- 
tion of man. 

"And yet, almost two thousand years have elapsed and 
men not only refrain from fulfilling this law and from teach- 
ing it to their children, but in most cases they do not them- 
selves even know it, or, if they do, they regard it either as 
unnecessary or as impractical ; and yet, unless this one great 
law is fulfilled, a universal religion or universal peace can- 
not result. 

' l The law of God is the law of God not because, as priests 
would affirm about their laws, it has been communicated in 
a miraculous way by God himself, but because it unmistak- 
ably and obviously directs men to that way of advancing 
along the lines which unquestionably are delivering them 
from their sufferings, and unquestionably obtain the 
greatest inner and external welfare — not some few particu- 
larly chosen men, but all men without exception. 

"Such is the law of God about acting towards others as 
one wishes that others should act towards oneself. It shows 
that men fulfilling it unquestionably obtain inner spiritual 
welfare, in the consciousness of their harmony with the will 
of God, and of the increase of love in themselves and in 
others; and that at the same time they obtain in social life 



72 The Son of God 

the greatest possible welfare accessible to them. Whereas, 
divergence from the law entails aggravation of their posi- 
tion. • 

' ' The law of God is the law of God for this reason, that it 
defines the position of man in the world, showing him the 
'best' that he can do for his spiritual as well as for his phy- 
sical life in this position. 

" 'Be not anxious,' said Jesus, 'saying, What shall we 
eat or what shall we drink, or wherewithal shall we be 
clothed? . . . Your heavenly father knoweth that ye have 
need of all these things. But seek ye first his kingdom and 
his righteousness (inner consciousness as being one with 
God) and all these things shall be added unto you.' 

"If man fulfils what God requires of him, if he observes 
His law, then God also will do for him that which he re- 
quires. So that the law of doing to others as one would wish 
to be done to oneself relates to God also. 'For., once man 
gets into harmony with the Father within, there is a certain 
power given to him by which, or through which, he obtains 
the things that he needs. 

"The principle of true religion is clearly expressed in 
the Gospel by the words: 'Do unto others as thou wouldst 
wish that others should do unto thee.' This is the whole 
law and the prophets. If this principle were recognized as 
the chief religious principle by all men, then egotism, which 
is the readiness to sacrifice one's neighbor's welfare to at- 
tain one's own ends, would disappear of itself. So that I 
recognize as the cause of evil in general, and of wars in 
particular, solely the ignorance of true religion. 

' ' The only solution of the social problem for rational be- 
ings gifted with the capacity to love consists in the aboli- 
tion of force, and in the organization of a society founded 
on mutual respect and rational principles voluntarily ac- 
cepted by all. Such a condition can be obtained only by the 
development of true religion. By this term, I refer to the 
fundamental principles of all religions, which are : first, the 
consciousness of the divine essence of the human soul ; and, 
secondly, regard for its manifestation. ' ' 



The Mystical Teachings op the Masters 73 

"Ye are the sons of God." 

That man is created in the image of the Supreme God, 
that he can be like God in all things, in goodness, in creative 
power, and all things else — this is the foundation of the 
Temple of Illumination and is the foundation upon which 
its whole Philosophy and all its principles are founded. 

In order to become the Son of God, one must do that 
which one's conscience, the inner self, indicates. One must 
say nothing except that which one knows to be the truth. 
If, for some reason, one is placed in a position in which 
one cannot speak the truth, it is best to say nothing, to re- 
main silent. One must do what one sees as duty and not 
shrink from it, no matter how unpleasant it may seem. 

Man cannot make the plea that he is forced to do this or 
that, in face of the fact that he has been given free-will by 
his Maker. If he is not the master of his will, of himself, 
of his personality, let him consider whether any one is to 
blame for it except himself. It is not possible for a man to 
come under the compelling power of others unless he has 
first of all become a slave to the carnal desires of his own 
fleshly nature. If he is such a slave, it is not a hard matter 
for other men to force him to do things which he does not 
want to do ; for he is no longer master of himself, but is in 
bondage to the lower self. 

Nor must we think of the self in the work of self-mastery. 
We must think of that which is for the good of all; and, 
being for the good of all, consequently it will be for our 
own good. No man is sufficient unto himself. 

First of all, we must live and think so that we may gain 
control, or mastery, over the lower, or the carnal, self. And, 
in accomplishing this, we must carefully consider the reason 
for our efforts — whether it is for purely selfish motives or 
because we desire to be that which God has intended us to 
be and because we desire others to become what their Maker 
desires them to become. 

We must distinguish between the Self and selfishness. 
Selfishness applies to that which we do for ourselves alone, 
that which we work for, that which we wish to gain, not for 



74 The Son of God 

the good of any one else, but only for our own good, and 
even at the expense of others. That which is of the Self 
has to do with the inner being, the true man. If it is truly 
for the Self, we will do nothing that might bring the least 
harm or sorrow or loss to another in any way; but, rather, 
we will bring help to all others to whom it is possible to 
give help. In this way, do we truly help the Self — by, or 
through, helping others. 

In this work of self-mastery, or seeking Soul Conscious- 
ness and Illumination of the being, it is possible that we 
are not as are the majority; but this does not matter. The 
one question is, whether we are in the right, whether we are 
working in harmony with the divine laws. If we are doing 
this, then we and God are a majority; for, if God is with us, 
none can be against us, 

Man must remember that God, the Father, the Creator 
of all things, does not desire the spoken praise of men. He 
does not desire lip service, the service that comes only from 
the mouth. God desires to be praised, not by words, but by 
acts. He desires men to do the things that He is doing ; and 
thereby they offer the greatest praise to Him that it is pos- 
sible for man to offer. 

Spoken praise counts for naught. Nor is faith without 
works of any value. It is in the thoughts, the desires, and 
the acts that we truly praise God; and this is the only 
praise that God, or the Divine Law, either accepts or recog- 
nizes. 

We must first of all come to understand the Divine Law. 
When we understand this, then do we understand God, be- 
cause the Law is God. In proportion as we understand the 
Law, it is our duty to obey the Law ; and in obedience to the 
Law do we truly worship God, for then we do the works 
that the Father does also. 

In nature all things obey the Divine Law. The tree is 
true to its nature and brings forth fruit only of its kind. 
The rose brings forth only a rose, emblem of all that is beau- 
tiful and true. The earth yields according to that which is 
sown; but man, having free-will, alone proves false to the 
trust placed in him. 



The Mystical Teachings op the Masters 75 

But there is still a worse feature : man is ignorant of the 
fact that when he violates the Divine Law he hurts none 
more than himself. He does not realize that obedience to 
the Law will bring all the good things that he requires 
without the pain and the sorrow that disobedience causes. 
In laboring only for the self, in doing only those things 
which seem to profit himself, and which bring profit for the 
time being, he believes that he is preparing for the future, 
that he is storing up benefits for a time to come. "Whereas, 
in reality, he is storing up conditions that will result in 
losses and sorrow. 

This fact man does not realize. If he is to become truly 
man, this is the truth that he must be taught. He must 
learn that only as he truly makes himself a part of the 
whole, laboring for the interests of the whole, can he become 
truly the partaker of good things and therefore truly an 
individual. Only in individuality — devotion to the whole — 
is to be found Godhood, or Sonship with the Father. 

This is true religion: not something to believe in, not 
some creed, nor some faith, out a method of living — a 
method that orings results not only on the plane of Soul 
Development out on the material plane as well. For, if we 
live right on the soulual plane, we will obtain results on 
the material plane also. Man cannot be right in regard to 
the interests of his soul and be a failure on the material 
plane. Therefore, true religion is something that is practi- 
cal, that brings tangible results — results that are of benefit 
here and now, not reserved for some far-off time and place. 

"Religion is the relation of man to the eternal life, to 
God, in accordance with reason and knowledge, which moves 
man forward towards the end for which he was intended. ' ' 

This moving forward brings man into touch with all 
power. This power he can use in obtaining those things 
which will give him contentment, peace of mind and Soul, 
and all that he truly needs. It will bring health, for in 
health he finds joy. It will bring material success; for ma- 
terial success is the birthright of all men. The Father de- 
nies to the son nothing of which the son is worthy and in 



76 The Son of God 

need. It is only those who are unworthy to whom these 
things are denied. Though it may seem that men who obey 
not the Divine Law are possessed of many things, it yet 
remains a fact that they are denied, through some cause or 
another, the pleasures that such possession should bring, 
and does bring, when possession is in accordance with the 
Divine Law. 

The Soul of man is the Light of man ; but, before he can 
make use of the light, he must first develop Soul Conscious- 
ness. The soul cannot give forth light until it has attained 
Consciousness ; for only in Consciousness is there Illumina- 
tion. 

In general, man is weak, he is inclined to be ruled by the 
flesh; consequently, he is miserable, because, though having 
the potentiality of a god, he still is little more than an ani- 
mal, and the animal nature and the divine nature are not 
as yet in harmony. He will continue to be an animal until 
such time as he seeks to know himself, until he masters the 
animal tendencies, and kindles the vestal lights on the Al- 
tar. This he cannot do until he first learns the Divine Law 
and obeys it. On the animal plane, he obeys the law of his 
animal nature. On the higher plane, he must understand 
and obey the Law of his Divine Being. 

"When he kindles the fires on the Altar at the center of 
his Being, when he brings the soul to Consciousness, to Il- 
lumination, then does he become the most powerful being on 
earth. He becomes the Son of G-od, the Christos; and in 
lesser degree he has the power_of a God, the creative energy 
of the Father who is the creator of all things. 

It is of this God-man that Jesus spoke when he said: 
"These things, and even greater things shall ye do." The 
man who has found the Christ possesses the power of the 
Christ, and can use this power for the good of himself and 
for the good of mankind in general. 

In this way, does man become a conscious being, by realiz- 
ing that he who was once but the son of man is the Son of 
God, and that he is the temple of the living God in propor- 
tion as he makes that temple a fit dwelling place for the 



The Mystical Teachings op the Masters 77 

Father, by lighting the lights upon the altar and by keeping 
them burning. Thus will the Father do His works through 
man. 

The Christie religion is nothing less than the conscious- 
ness of man's relation to God — the highest consciousness of 
which humanity is capable. The Christie religion is not a 
creed, it is a consciousness, it is a state of being. It is not 
something merely to be studied, but something to be ex- 
perienced, something into which we grow through a method 
of thinking, desiring, and living. It is something we find 
within us, something which belongs to the Divine Spark and 
which becomes the Illuminated, Conscious, Individualized 
Soul, as we think, desire, and act aright, or in accordance 
with the Divine Law. 

Being the son of man, we must gradually ascend from 
the lowest, or the carnal, earthly, fleshly plane, to the 
highest step of the ladder, which is Soul Consciousness at- 
tained through the innate love of the heart for all that is 
good, for all that is pure, and for the good of the children 
of man. 

The Christie religion, the method of living advocated by 
the Temple of Illumination, enables man to attain the 
highest degree of power, of knowledge, and of conscious- 
ness, because it teaches him the Divine Law, it shows him 
how to make the beginning and how to go forward, step by 
step, until the highest stage of development has been 
reached. 

It is practical, in that it does not theorize, and in that it 
understands, and is able to teach, the Law. Moreover, it is 
practical because it takes into account the fourfold nature 
of man: the physical, or the material; the mental, or the 
intellectual ; the spiritual, or the life-principle ; and the 
soul, which is of God, and may become Individualized God 
Consciousness. It is practical because the laws that it 
teaches bring health to the physical being, knowledge to the 
intellect, fuller life and greater power to the spiritual na- 
ture, and absolute Illumination and sublime Consciousness 
to the Soul. 



78 The Son of God 

The Temple of Illumination with its Christie principles 
condemns nothing. It teaches the truth, it teaches man how 
to live according to the truth. Without favor, it condemns 
those acts of men and those conditions in life which are 
contrary to the Divine Law; but it condemns nothing that 
can lead to more abundant life, to greater unfoldment, and 
consequently to better manhood and womanhood. 

All men are brothers, because they are the sons of men 
and are born under the same universal laws. All men are 
brothers, in that they are parts of one great chain. Each 
one is a link, either weak or strong, as the case may be. Each 
one either remains as part of the chain or becomes detached 
from the chain through his own unworthy acts. 

The true man is he who believes that God is the Father 
of all men and that man's highest welfare is obtained by 
recognizing his Sonship with the Father through obedience 
to the Divine Law, which is of the Father. And it must be 
clearly understood that man cannot come to recognize Son- 
ship with God unless he thinks and desires and acts in har- 
mony with the Divine Law; for, only through such think- 
ing, desiring, and acting, can he grow into this knowledge, 
or this recognition. 

Mere belief in the Fatherhood of God will never of itself 
bring Sonship ; but, when one lives according to the belief, 
and thinks and acts according to it continually for any 
length of time, then does one grow into the knowledge, and, 
through the knowledge, is born the recognition. 

The most pronounced distinction between true faith and 
its consequent works, and a corrupt faith is seen in this: 
when faith is corrupted, when it is a mere belief or creed, 
man expects God, in return for his sacrifices and prayers, to 
fulfil his own wishes; his prayers are little short of dicta- 
tions to his Maker ; he seems to expect the Creator to become 
his servant and to do according to his own requests. Where- 
as, true faith teaches man that God demands him to do the 
works of a man ; that He expects man to do the works of a 
God ; that He requires man to be the fulfilment of His Will ; 
that He expects man to answer his own prayers through an 



The Mystical Teachings of the Masters 79 

intelligent application of the divine laws of life, and 
through the power of the Divine in and through him, God 
asks man to realize that he can do all needful things through 
the Christ within that strengtheneth him. 

To become an individualization of the divine nature, or 
the Son of God, we must be like God. This means that we 
must be doers, not mere believers; that we must think, and 
act, and desire as God does. This means that we should be 
willing to help and to forgive our f ellowmen ; that we should 
feel called upon to do so. As for ourselves, we are abso- 
lutely responsible for all that we think, all that we desire, 
and all that we do. "We cannot plead that we have been 
harmed by another, cursed by another, or have suffered loss 
through another. Though God is cursed by man, he does 
not curse man in return, but forgives his acts. In reality, 
under the Divine Law, man curses himself rather than any- 
one else ; and through his acts he brings about his own pun- 
ishment. 

"Then came Peter and said unto him, Lord, how often 
shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him ? Until 
seven times ? Jesus said unto him, I say not unto thee, Un- 
til seven times: but, Until seventy times seven." Matt. 
18 :21. 

In order to understand this better, it must be remembered 
that, if our brother offends us or sins against us, it is but 
seemingly so, because nothing except that which we think, 
desire, or do ourselves can truly injure us. Only for our 
own acts are we responsible, and only for our own acts can 
we suffer. If our brother or any man does aught against 
us, it may be a sign that we have deserved it through some 
acts of our own; and he, through the evil in his nature, is 
but the medium of the Divine Law which punishes us for 
that which we have done before. 

And even so, if that is done against us which we have not 
deserved, then is the doer punished by his own acts, while 
we will be compensated through some means for the sorrow, 
the loss, or the pain that we may have suffered. Thus does 
the Divine Law punish or reward ; and for this reason must 



80 The Son of God 

we forgive those who do aught against us, understanding 
that the Divine Law will punish them for what they did, 
and reward us for that which has been done against us. 

' ' Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a cer- 
tain king, which would make a reckoning with his servants. 
And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto 
him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch 
as he had not wherewith to pay, his lord commanded him to 
be sold, and his wife, and children and all that he had, and 
payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down and 
worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I 
will pay thee all. And the lord of that servant, being moved 
with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. 

"But the same servant went out, and found one of his 
fellow servants which owed him an hundred pence ; and he 
laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay 
me that thou owest. So his fellow servant fell down at his 
feet and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and 
I will pay thee all. And he would not : but went and cast 
him into prison, till he should pay the debt. 

"So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they 
were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that 
was done. Then his lord called him unto him, and saith to 
him, Thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt be- 
cause thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had 
compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had mercy on 
thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to his 
tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 

' ' So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, 
if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother 
their trespasses. ' ' Matt. 18 :23-35. 

No master could teach a greater truth, nor make it 
plainer than this. There is no qualification made as to 
whom we should forgive. He tells us plainly that we must 
forgive all, no matter who it may be, if we in turn wish to 
be forgiven. 

There is no virtue in prayer to God which comes from the 
lips if we have not forgiveness in the heart. There is no 



The Mystical Teachings op the Masters 81 

virtue in telling our brother that we forgive him if the heart 
does not forgive. But if the heart forgives, if it has freed 
itself from all ill-feeling, all resentment, then have we truly 
forgiven those who did ill against us, even if we do not tell 
them so ; for the virtue is not in the telling, but in the atti- 
tude of mind itself. 

Jesus taught that all must forgive the wrongs committed 
against them, and that this forgiveness must be in the heart. 
This means that we must free the heart from all ill-feeling, 
from all resentment; for ill-feeling and resentment are 
poisons which keep the soul in darkness, and which do not 
allow it to become free or illuminated. In this, is the power 
of hate and of resentment, that it keeps the soul bound, it 
does not allow it to find the light ; and it is for this reason 
that no man can become the Son of God so long as there is 
hate or resentment or jealousy in the heart toward any be- 
ing. 

To be forgiven for any debt that we owe, does not free us 
from the debt ; but it frees us from the act". It still remains 
a debt and must be paid ; but with the paying of the debt 
the record is wiped clean. Whereas, if we are not forgiven 
for a wrong committed, even though we repay it, the record 
remains; therefore it is necessary for us to forgive tres- 
passes even as we desire to be forgiven. 

Before we can become Christie, before we can know God, 
before we can become the temple of the living God, we must 
have learned to forgive all men. Unless we do so, the con- 
science within, that still, small voice which is awakened 
when the soul is aroused to consciousness, will continue to 
accuse us and to condemn us ; and there is no peace for man 
until he makes peace with his own conscience. One makes 
peace with one's conscience only by obeying it. The en- 
lightened conscience teaches one the same thing that the 
master Jesus taught mankind centuries ago. Only personal 
pride prevents man from doing what is right ; for our pride, 
that satan of old, continually makes us believe that it lowers 
our dignity to forgive. The man with a clear conscience, 
6 



82 The Son of God 

free from accusations of wrong, does not recognize "dig- 
nity" unless it is in the right; for his dignity is the dignity 
of the Father, and is within and recognizes only the right. 

"We know that we have passed out of death into life be- 
cause we love the brethren. He that loveth not, abideth in 
death." Uohn3:14. 

It is not faith in a creed, not the upholding of some 
special church that brings life ; but it is living in harmony 
with the Divine Law that brings eternal life to man. 

As man does this he awakens to the truth, and he lives 
according to the truth. He becomes the church, or the bride, 
of God ; for in Him are all things. He is the temple ; and, 
as God is within the temple, he worships within, not through 
a service that is of the lips only, but a service to which is 
dedicated the thoughts, the desires, and the acts. This is 
the true service. 

No man being sufficient unto himself, but all men forming 
parts of a whole, it is well for men, even those who have 
reached Illumination, to be formed into an Association and 
to have symbolic buildings wherein they may meet and 
wherein, through an outer service, they may symbolize that 
which they have already found within, that which they have 
already become; but this is all that the external church can 
do. * 

To love our fellow man is to be willing to help him in 
every way possible. It means that our life will be one of 
service; and, through service, through love for our fellow- 
man, do we find eternal life, or that which we call Immor- 
tality of Soul. He that has love for his brother also has 
life. We need then simply to realize love in the heart for 
our f ellowman in order to find life ; and, as we find life, we 
will recognize that we are a part of the universal whole, 
that we are becoming the temples of the living God, and 
that, as we become perfect through our love, we become the 
Sons of God, we become Christs. 

' ' Love is of God ; and every one that loveth is begotten of 
God and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not 
God ; for God is Love. ' ' 1 John 4 :7-8. 



The Mystical Teachings of the Masters 83 

The beginning of true life is in love. Unless we love the 
truth we will not seek for the truth, and unless we seek it 
we will not find it ; and if we do not find it we cannot live 
it. The beginning of all things, whether of good or of evil, 
is in love. Love for the pleasures of the flesh will lead us 
into doing those things which will gratify the unhallowed 
love of the flesh, and therein is death. 

Love of the truth will lead us to do the things that will 
give us truth, and therein do we find life. Love is there- 
fore at the foundation of all things. It is the beginning of 
life, as it is also the beginning of death. 

' ' But whoso hath the world 's goods, and seeth his brother 
have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from 
him, how doth the love of God abide in him? My little 
children, let us not love in word, neither with the tongue, 
but in deed and in truth. ' ' 1 John 3 :17-18. 

Here we are taught the necessity of acting. Not that 
which we say counts, but that which we do. If we say that 
we love our brother and help him not in his need, then are 
we liars and the truth is not in us. Nevertheless, even 
though we confess not love for him in words, if we help 
him in his need, then do we express our love for him; for 
it is service that God desires and not words. 

Only by giving to others when they need, do we prove 
that we have the love of God in our hearts, and that we fol- 
low the divine command. This is religion, it is obedience 
to the Christ within. It is the building of the Divine Soul, 
that which is eternal. 

And through such service did Jesus become the Son of 
God. But not he alone has become the Son of God. All 
men, through love and service to humanity, may become the 
only begotten Sons of the Father. He who can and does 
love has God within himself; and it is from this that the 
power comes to heal the sick and to do all manner of good. 

"Ye are the temples of the living God" should be written 
in letters of fire above the doors of all places wherein man 
dwells. And to make this a fact it is only necessary that 



84 The Son op God 

man should love his f ellowinan, that he should do as the Di- 
vine Law commands. 

"God is love," and whoso loveth his brother has God 
within him. It thus follows that, if Christ is with the 
Father and God is in those who love, then we are to become 
living Christs the same as Jesus became through his love 
for mankind. 

' ' God in me, and I in you. ' ' Man thus, if he follows the 
sacred teachings, becomes a Christ, the Son of God. "Love 
is of God : and every one that loveth is begotten of God and 
knoweth God. ' ' There is no qualification in this statement. 
He who loveth his fellowman and doeth accordingly, comes 
to know God, comes to have the Christie power within him- 
self ; for he is, in very truth, "the temple of the living 
God." 

"No man hath beheld God at any time : if we love one an- 
other, God abideth in us. ' ' John 4 :12. 

No man can see God. The flesh can see and understand 
only that which is of the flesh. But if man obeys the Divine 
Law, if he thinks, desires, and acts in harmony with the 
Law; if he makes deliberate efforts for the finding of the 
Christ, then he gradually becomes the Son of God. He 
transmutes, or changes, the carnal self into the real Self. 
He changes the personality into the Individuality. And, 
when he has accomplished this, he is a conscious individual 
entity, he is become an Illuminated Soul, he can then see 
God, for he is become one with God. 

When he has become thus illuminated, when he has be- 
come the Conscious Individualized Soul, then is he truly the 
temple of the living God, and God dwells within the temple. 
Moreover, man has then become the Son of God, the Christ ; 
and through this becoming will he have received the power 
possessed by Jesus who had also become the Christ through 
his love for humankind and through his thoughts, his de- 
sires, and his works. 

"If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is 
a liar : for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen 
cannot love God whom he hath not seen." 



The Mystical Teachings op the Masters 85 

All true growth begins through faith in God and His 
law, and through works on the plane where one lives. Thus 
the man who desires to become the Son of God, the dynamic 
Christ, must begin his labors on the plane of being whereon 
he lives when the desire for the higher life comes to him. 

His first duty is to himself; for, only in the changing of 
the self, will he be able to show the change to others. He 
will be faithful to the work he has in hand no matter what 
may be its nature. If but a laborer in the fields he will 
perform his labor well and with patience, knowing that 
just as soon as he has become worthy, something greater 
will be ready for him to do. "While performing his labor 
he will prepare himself for the greater work; and, the mo- 
ment he is ready for it, the work will be given him to do. 
Only those things for which we are fitted will be given us to 
do. The attempt to do things for which we are not fitted, 
ends in failure. 

Thus, as the Law reveals itself to us we try to obey it. 
"With each attempt there will be greater power to do until in 
the end we have mastered even those things which seemed 
most difficult. We will love our fellowmen, even those that 
hate us, knowing that hate is of the flesh, of the carnal self ; 
knowing that in hate there is sickness, sorrow, and death. 
Moreover, we know that the hate of another need in no wise 
affect us, but that it affects most of all him that hates. 
While the love we bear towards others has its effects di- 
rectly upon ourselves, even though it is neither appreciated 
nor accepted by those whom we love. 

Love is the Law ; and through love do we come to do the 
service required of us in order to become that which we de- 
sire to be. In order to have the love of God within the soul, 
man must love all mankind. It is not possible for us to love 
God and hate our fellowman. There is no distinction of 
race, it is for us to feel kindly toward all mankind. We 
must believe in, and be in sympathy with, universal man- 
kind ; and, through this love and the fruits of this love, do 
we become the Sons of God. 



86 The Son of God 

There is no way except through love in the heart. Neither 
creed nor doctrine nor ritualism can give us God, nor make 
us the children of God. Only through love in the heart, 
which makes all things possible, can we come to know God, 
who Himself is all love. 

Through thoughts and desires, which end in deeds or acts, 
do we become Sons of God; and nowhere is there greater 
opportunity than in service to those who have less under- 
standing of God than we have. For this reason did Jesus 
teach: "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least 
of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. ' ' 

God does not need our service personally ; but his creation 
needs our service, and, when we give service, or help, to 
those whom he has created, we do it directly to Him. If 
we feed those who are an hungered and cannot obtain food, 
then we have done it to Him. If we feed those who are able 
to work and thereby obtain food, we do not His will; for 
then we weaken those who might become strong through 
the effort they themselves are able to make. 

"You have heard that it hath been said: An eye for an 
eye, and a tooth for a tooth ; but I say unto you, Resist not 
him that is evil. ' ' Matt. 5 :38-39. 

To demand an eye for an eye, is to do to others that which 
they do to us. It means that we would give them just that 
which they give to us. If they slander us, we would slander 
them. If they hate us, we would hate them. If they com- 
mit wrong against us, we would do the same to them. This 
is not the Divine Law; for there is no virtue in giving a 
blow to him that gives a blow to us. 

The Law is that we should give to others, not that which 
they give to us, but that which they should give us. "We 
need not concern ourselves with the acts of another, whether 
evil or otherwise. Our duty is ours alone; and, no matter 
what others do to us, it is our duty to do only that which is 
good, for then we receive the good fruits of our good acts, 
while if we return evil for evil, we reap the reaction of our 
evil. 



The Mystical Teachings op the Masters 87 

Our acts therefore do not concern others at all, even 
though they do evil to us, for we have nothing to do with 
their actions. If we return in kind, we have gained nothing 
except possibly to punish them; but we reap the evil for 
the punishment given, and are the loser. "We should re- 
member the words of Jesus: "What is that to thee? Fol- 
low thou me. ' ' 

Therefore we must not demand an eye for an eye, but re- 
turn that which we ourselves would like to receive. Our 
whole duty is between ourselves and God, and consists in 
service to others, for only in service is there reward. 

Jesus everywhere taught his disciples not to resist him 
that is evil. He taught all men that God has said: "Ven- 
geance is mine, saith the Lord. ' ' This does not imply that 
God punishes the evil doer, nor that God seeks vengeance 
for the evil that we do ; but the Divine Law, being just and 
absolute and always working, rewards each and every one 
according to his thoughts, his desires, and his acts. Not 
only this, but as the prayer is the answer, so is the deed 
the reward. Evil brings evil, goodness brings goodness, and 
therefore goodness is power. 

God punishes no one. Man, through the reactionary 
effects of his own deeds, punishes or blesses himself. If 
aught comes to us which we consider evil, it may be ac- 
counted for by some act of ours which has set the Law into 
motion, which in its turn has brought to us the punishment, 
or that which we consider evil. 

All men are therefore instruments of the Divine Law in 
the giving of just judgment. Just as the good man, through 
his works and his blessings, is the rewarder of the good, so 
is the evil man, through his evil deeds, the punisher of 
those who do evil. Law is one, it is the use of the Law that 
brings about the different results. 

Jesus taught that he who has not taken up the cross has 
not renounced all and cannot be his disciple : that is to say, 
no one is qualified to follow the Christ unless he is prepared 
to give up the unworthy desires of the flesh for those of the 
soul, and to take the consequences of such renunciation. For 



88 The Son op God 

no one can follow the Christ who is not willing to obey the 
Divine Law and to exchange his carnal, material life for 
the higher life. 

"Resist not evil," means just what it says. It means that 
we should never employ force, never compel another to do 
that which he does not wish to do, never do anything that 
is contrary to love ; and, if men still continue to do evil to- 
wards us we should put up with their offense, forget that 
they are trying to injure us, and go our way. 

The law of non-resistance to evil, or the refusal to recog- 
nize evil, unites all the teachings of Jesus into one harmoni- 
ous whole ; not, however, when it is considered simply as a 
creed or a doctrine, but when we recognize it as an absolute 
Law, a principle that must be obeyed if we desire to reap 
the benefits of the Law. 

It is impossible to resist evil, to fight against those who 
are opposed to us, and at the same time to follow the great 
command: "Love thy brother, for whoso loveth his brother 
has God in him ; for God is love. ' ' We cannot fight with a 
man and take his life, and still love him. That which we 
love we do not attempt to destroy, we cherish it, we try to 
keep it from destruction and even give ourselves so that the 
loved one may live. 

"Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt love thy 
neighbor and hate thine enemy (Lev. 19 :17-18). But I say 
unto you: Love your enemy, and pray for them that per- 
secute you ; for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the 
good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust. For if 
ye love them that love you, what reward have ye ? Do not 
even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your breth- 
ren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the 
Gentiles the same? Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your 
heavenly Father is perfect." 

In this we have the Law; for, if we have mastered the 
evil in us so that we love our enemies as we are commanded, 
we will no longer wish to resist him that is evil. We will 
love all, knowing that each does only that which he under- 
stands to be for his own good. 



The Mystical Teachings op the Masters 8.9 

The Father who is the Creator does not withhold the 
sunshine from those who are evil, and give it only to those 
who are good. He allows the sun to shine upon all. His it 
is not to punish but to give. He knows that men are con- 
tinually punishing themselves through their evil thoughts 
and deeds. He knows that they are living in eternal tor- 
ment all the day, that the conscience gives them neither 
peace nor rest nor contentment; and for this reason he 
neither curses, punishes, nor destroys. But the Law allows 
men's deeds to bring their own results. The sowing is the 
reaping. 

Awakening man, who is trying to become like the Father, 
who is seeking the way to Divine Illumination and to Son- 
ship, must do like the Father ; for only in this way can we 
become like Him. For this reason, the man who is truly 
seeking "the truth, the way, and the life," will not resist 
evil; he will pray for them that persecute him just as the 
Father sends the sunshine even upon those that are indiffer- 
ent to Him. 

If we love only those that love us and that are kind to us, 
we do not more than the most degraded of humankind is 
doing. Even the most hardened criminal has a sort of love, 
an affection for those of his own kind who show kindness to 
him. If we want to become men of power, Sons of God, 
we must show love and kindness to all, even those who do us 
injury, even as the Father sends the rain to those who are 
ungrateful. 

To hate an enemy will not make him better, nor yet will 
it free us from his hatred and his persecution. But if we 
refuse to receive the hatred, if we give love in exchange for 
the hatred, then will we receive the blessings of love; and 
our love to such will be like coals of fire, searing into the 
conscience and allowing them no rest until they discontinue 
their persecution. 

The first commandment is: "Be at peace with all men." 
Consider no man as insignificant or foolish. If peace be 
destroyed, strive to reestablish it with all your strength. The 
service of Cod is the destruction of enmity. "Know that 



90 The Son of God 

all men are brothers and sons of the one God; break peace 
with no man. ' ' 

"Be ye merciful, even as your Father is merciful." To 
be like the Father, we must do as the Father does ; for this 
reason, we must show mercy to all men. Those who hate 
do so because they think they have a reason for so doing, 
and because they know no better way by which to protect 
themselves. They are as yet slaves to themselves, and do 
not understand the Divine Law; otherwise, they would 
know that no one except themselves can bring harm to them. 

"Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: and condemn 
not, and ye shall not be condemned." Luke 6 :37-49. 

"We have no right to judge our fellowmen harshly; for 
we know not what cause they may have for their actions. 
It is ours to forgive, it is not ours to judge. No man has a 
right to hold the acts of another in judgment, even when 
his acts are clearly wrong. The action of a man is only 
between himself and his God, unless he interferes with the 
liberties of others; in such a case, protective methods must 
be taken by society. 

"We have only to watch our own actions, our own thoughts, 
and our own deeds. The Divine Law takes care of that 
which others do, as it takes care of that which we do. Each 
one must therefore deal directly with the Law and not 
through the medium of another ; for this reason, we can no 
more judge another than another can judge us. 

But if we do judge, then is that judgment written against 
us by the Divine Law the same as all our other acts; and 
with the judgment by which we judge others we also will 
be judged. For this reason, ' ' Judge not, ' ' lest by the same 
judgment ye be judged. 

Jesus was careful to enjoin all men to forgive others, that 
they might have their own trespasses forgiven. This idea 
he repeated many times. It follows, then, that every man 
before bringing his offering of prayer is required to pardon 
all trespasses. If he does not the offering is acceptable 
neither to God nor to his own conscience ; for it is not given 
in love. Only thoughts created in love are acceptable to the 



The Mystical Teachings op the Masters 91 

soul; and, only through thoughts, desires, and acts that 
have their beginning in love, can the soul become illumi- 
nated. 

In James 4:11, are found these words: "Speak not evil 
one of another, brethren. He that speaketh against a 
brother, or judgeth his brother, speaketh against the law; 
but if thou judgest the law, thou art not a doer of the law, 
but a judge. One only is the lawgiver and judge, even he 
who is able to save and destroy; but who art thou that 
judgest thy neighbor?" 

The Divine Law is above all men, and yet all men are 
bound by the Law. The Law has a judge which is he who 
gave it ; and no one else has the right either to judge or to 
interfere with it. As we are all equally bound by the Law, 
and as the Law is absolutely just, and judges each one ac- 
cording to his thoughts, desires, and deeds, and rewards 
accordingly, no man has a right to interfere with it ; and to 
do so results in a just punishment. 

"My brethren, hold not the faith of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect to persons. For if 
there come into your synagogues a man with a gold ring, 
in fine clothing ; and ye have regard to him that weareth the 
fine clothing, and say, Sit thou here in a good place; and 
ye say to the poor man, Sit thou here, or sit under my foot- 
stool ; are ye not divided in your own mind ? And become 
judges with evil thoughts? Harken, my beloved brethren, 
did not God choose them that are poor as to the world, to be 
rich in faith, and heirs to the kingdom which he promised 
to them that love him. But ye have dishonored the poor 
man. Do not the rich among you oppress you, and them- 
selves drag you before the judgment-seats? Do not they 
blaspheme the honorable name by which ye are called. How- 
beit if ye fulfil the royal law according to the Scripture, 
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well ; but if 
ye have respect of persons, ye commit sin, being convicted 
by the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the 
whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is become guilty 
of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, also said, 



92 The Son of God 

Do not kill. Now if thou dost not commit adultery, but 
killest, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak 
ye, and so do, as men that are to be judged by a. law of lib- 
erty. For judgment is without mercy to him that hath 
showed no mercy: mercy glorieth against judgment." 

God does not respect the person. The person is the per- 
sonality, it is only the shell of that which is within. God 
does not look to see whether we wear rings of gold or 
whether our clothing is of the best material and the most 
fashionable cut ; for these features belong to the person, that 
which is not lasting. God looks upon the man, that which is 
interior, that which is going on within. He looks upon the 
thoughts, upon the desires, and upon the acts of man. 

A man may be poor in worldly goods, but if he entertains 
clean thoughts and desires, if his efforts are for the accom- 
plishment of the work for which he came to earth, if he is 
therefore changing the personality into the individuality, 
or the Soul — such a man is the one that is acceptable to 
God. Even though a man may wear the most fashionable 
apparel, jewels of gold and diamonds, even though his intel- 
lect may be mighty, yet, if his heart is dark with evil and 
if he neither knows nor cares for the Divine Law, such a 
man does not know God. 

Nor are these things evil in themselves. Gold and jewels 
and fine clothing are not to be condemned; but when the 
effort to obtain them requires time and thought which 
should be given to the real things of life, then do they be- 
come evil and destructive to all that is eternal. 

God recognizes not the personality, no matter how beau- 
tiful it may be, because the personality is connected only 
with the body, it is that which came from the earth and that 
which must return again to the earth, losing every vestige 
of its identity as it passes from one state to the other. But 
the individuality is that which is of the Father; for it be- 
comes like the Father, it is the Christ, the Son of God. 

"Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteous- 
ness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no wise enter 
into the kingdom of heaven. ' ' Matt. 5 :20. 



The Mystical Teachings of the Masters 93 

The righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, what was 
it ? The scribes and Pharisees were devoted members of the 
synagogue, they were faithful in their attendance at the 
services. They dressed well, they glorified the personality, 
they upheld the written law. In most cases, the law was 
man-made, it was in harmony with things man considered 
right. Being men who lived the carnal life, the life that is 
ruled by the flesh, they did not understand the Divine Law. 

Such were the Pharisees, they knew nothing of God, be- 
cause the personality, being of the earth, cannot know God. 
Men who are like the scribes and the Pharisees are denied 
the kingdom of God. Instead of giving service to God with 
his words, man must give service to God through his acts. 
Instead of fine clothing, he must perform fine deeds, and 
therefore erect a fine temple. Instead of glorifying the 
personality, man must transmute, change, the personality 
into the individuality. He must know the Divine Law, and 
above all else, he must make deliberate efforts to live in 
harmony with the Divine Law and to reach the state called 
Soul Consciousness, or Oneness with the Father. Not 
merely through faith and faithful attendance upon a 
church, is Sonship possible ; but, only through obedience to 
the Divine Law, can man become the Son of God. 

The End. 



94 The Son of God 

GLOSSARY OF UNCOMMON USE OF WORDS IN THE 
CHR1STIC INTERPRETATION 

Spiritualized, or spiritual, simply means to have much of 
life; for life is nothing more nor less than spirit, and 
is always a part of God, and fully connected with Him, 
though the connection may not always be a conscious 
one. 
Animals, as a rule, have far more spirit, or are far more 
spiritualized, than man. This is because animals are 
nearly always in perfect physical condition, while man, 
as a rule, is but a poor receiver of the life, or spiritual, 
forces, and, as a consequence, does not manifest perfect 
health. 

JEthizing, a process of spiritualization, or refining, of the 
whole being — body, mind, and soul. The word, spirit- 
ualization, here is used in its ordinary significance, re- 
ferring to the state of man's being after his nature has 
been purified or "sanctified," to make use of the re- 
ligious terminology. The accurate expression for the 
idea contained in sanctified, or spiritualized, would be 
soul-ified — that is, permeated with attributes of soul to 
such an extent that man is conscious of his one-ness 
with God. 

Soul-ual, soul-ar, or soul-ified, refers properly to the state 
commonly called spiritual or spiritualized, the state of 
consciousness in which man has awakened to the fact 
that he can come into conscious unity with the Father. 
This is the Awakening of the Mind, and is the begin- 
ning of the use of Mind to bring about Soul Conscious- 
ness. As this process continues, man becomes more 
and more soul-ual, or soul-ified, until he has reached 
Soul, or Cosmic, Consciousness, when he is a Soul-ar, or 
Soul-ual, Being. 

Soul-ual, pertaining to soul. 



ANNOUNCEMENT 



SOUL SCIENCE AND SUCCESS 

THE CHRISTIC INTERPRETATION 

and 

MYSTIC CHRISTIANITY 

As taught by 

The Temple of Illuminati 




Urn-pit of Jiltmrnjoh 



THE PHILOSOPHY OF 
IMMORTALITY 



Temple op Illuminati 



THE TEMPLE OF THE ILLUMINATI 

The Temple of the Illuminati is not a secret order in the 
same sense as the Masons, the Odd Fellows, or the Temp- 
lars. It is, rather, more like the old Essenean Fraternity, a 
School of Spirituality, a School of, or for, aspiring Souls — 
Souls that are no longer satisfied with the things of the car- 
nal self, hut desire to know, to be, and to do. 

As the name indicates, the Temple of the Illuminati is a 
Fraternity, or Brotherhood, of those who have passed 
through certain stages of growth and have attained such a 
degree of enlightenment that they desire further instruc- 
tions which will help them to attain Illumination of Soul, 
or At-one-ment with God, the Father. 

In many Fraternities, Initiation means nothing more 
than the ceremonial rites attendant upon the reception of 
members. It may possibly signify a required amount of in- 
struction that has been given the candidate, with little re- 
gard to his understanding or appropriation of such instruc- 
tion. In the Temple of the Illuminati, the strongest em- 
phasis is placed on the importance of the stages, or degrees, 
of growth which the candidate has actually experienced, as 
a result of instructions received. 

Thus, in this Fraternity, outer initiation is only a symbol- 
ization, or emblematic representation, of the degree of un- 
derstanding that the candidate is to attain, or that he has 
already attained, in his growth. In this Fraternity, the 
inner growth is promoted by following clearly outlined in- 
structions and by the use of Sacred Mantrams. 

There is an outer organized Brotherhood of the Temple 
of the Illuminati. However, the members of the Inner 
Brotherhood, those who have received the instructions, who 
have followed the Sacred Mantrams, greatly outnumber 
those of the outer ; in other words, many are eligible to mem- 
bership who have not been privileged to be present at a 



4 Soul Science 

Convocation and to receive the conferring of degrees. They 
are eligible to membership in that they have received the 
prescribed instructions concerning Soul Illumination, and 
have given satisfactory evidence of sincerity and devotion 
in trying to live a life that harmonizes with these instruc- 
tions; but, for some reason, they have been unable to be 
present at one of the Convocations. 

In so far as possible for them to do so, all worthy seekers 
are encouraged to become affiliated with a Temple organiza- 
tion. Such fellowship as a Fraternity affords, does much to 
strengthen one in one's purpose, to stimulate one to one's 
best endeavors, and to quicken one's ambition in all good 
works; while the ceremonial features of Initiation, when 
understood in their symbolic significance, constitute a most 
impressive and sublime ritual. 

However, to the isolated members of the Temple of the 
Illuminati, who are not privileged to enjoy such fellowship 
and to be the recipients of such impressive rites, let this 
message be made plain : 

"True Initiation is a process of growth, it is a refining 
process, it is a purifying process, by means of which the 
soul becomes more Christ-like in all its qualities ; therefore, 
that which is vital and fundamental in initiation one may 
experience in his own consciousness, no matter how isolated 
his life may be. Furthermore, no matter how many de- 
grees one may have received through the outer ritual, un- 
less one has attained correct understanding of truth, and 
has experienced the proper purification of heart, and the 
consequent proportionate degree of Illumination of Soul, 
one has not passed through the true Initiation. ' ' The sys- 
tems of instruction given under the auspices of the Temple 
of the Illuminati receive the general names, Soul Science, 
Soul Science and Success, or Soul Science and Immortality. 
Each name emphasizes one particular feature of the pur- 
pose attained through its study and its practice. 

The instructions in general have for their aim the har- 
monious development of the complete man, body, mind, and 
soul. This is brought about through proper understanding 



Temple op Illuminati 5 

of the divine laws, and through the use of Sacred Man- 
trams. 

The special object of these teachings is to fit all aspirants, 
through knowledge wisely used, not only to be masters of 
their own lives and conditions, but to help their weaker 
brothers in the one family of God, whose home is the uni- 
verse. Purity of motive, thought, and life ; holy use of holy 
gifts; justice and fairness in all dealings; sympathy and 
brotherly love; in short, truth practiced — these are a few 
of the stones gathered for the foundation of the Temple. 

The faithful aspirant giving himself with pure motives 
and determined purpose to the pursuit and practice of the 
methods and teachings set forth, will, of a surety, unfold 
the inherent powers of the Soul; such as, gifts of healing, 
intuition, discernment, and spiritual understanding. No 
distinction of sex is recognized. Man and woman possessing 
a sincere heart and a willing mind and upright character 
alike are eligible to membership. 

In the fulness of time, retreats will be established where 
the sick and sorrow-tossed may go for healing, rest, and in- 
structions. In the cities, circles will be formed for all man- 
ner of practical work. The ministry of healing will be of- 
fered whenever possible under the guidance of regular phy- 
sicians who have also received training in Soul Science and 
Soul Culture. Especially is it desired that tender sym- 
pathy and ministry shall be given to all the so-called out- 
cast, or fallen man or woman, and that every member of 
the Temple shall consider himself a Good Samaritan, ready 
to do, to dare, and to suffer, if need be, in order to save his 
weaker brother. 

The work and the principles of the Temple of the Illumi- 
nati are such as to insure opportunity for Mystic connection 
through membership in the Order with the most advanced 
and spiritual minds of past ages and of the present age; 
also, through their teachings, exoteric and esoteric, one re- 
ceives such instructions as will develop the highest powers 
of the soul, and at the same time open the field for conse- 
crated and useful service and activity. 



6 Soul Science 

It should be emphasized that the mission of the Temple 
is to teach those who come into touch with it. Teachers 
connected with the Temple may be equal to those who would 
be called "Masters," or "Mahatmas," by Occult Fraterni- 
ties. But the Temple of the Illuminati does not put them 
forth as such ; they are ranked only in the role of teachers, 
or instructors. 

The teachings must necessarily be general, intended to 
enlighten as well as to arouse the conscience, in order that 
the aspirant may become self-reliant in his choices and in 
his decisions. The purpose is to give such clear exposition 
of the Divine Law that the student may learn to determine 
beforehand the reactionary effects of thought and deed, and 
thus be led to choose the right. 

It is intended that the fundamental laws of the Christ 
shall be taught, and how to live in harmony with -them. 
The goal in mind for the students is to become masters them- 
selves of themselves, rather than to come under the control 
of a master. All powers, all mastership, all divinity, comes 
from within, from the Soul, from the Center of the Being. 
The teacher can only direct the student to the path that 
leads to Illumination of Soul. But the student must travel 
the path and must do the work for himself. However, by 
persistent effort the student may become even as the teacher 
and possibly even greater. Not slavery does the Temple 
teach, but freedom from slavery; mastership over condi- 
tions, not bondage under conditions. Obedience to the 
spirit of the teachings is necessary ; for no one can learn the 
deeper truth except through obedience to the truth he al- 
ready has. Knowledge of deific things is the result of 
growth of Soul ; and growth of Soul is the result of faithful 
obedience to the Divine Law in its various aspects in all de- 
partments of life. 

To the seeker who has made up his mind to live the true 
life, the thing that looks like an impassible barrier to Son- 
ship and Illumination is the memory of the past; for the 
memory of his past life comes before him again and again 



Temple op Illumestati 7 

to discourage him. Concerning this it is fitting to quote 
from a poet unknown in name : 

"All the past things are past and over, 

The tasks are done and the tears are shed. 
Yesterday's errors let yesterday cover; 

Yesterday's wounds, which smart and bled, 
Are healed with the healing that night has shed." 

To let the dead bury their dead, and to follow the Christ, 
is the hardest lesson the student has to learn. To give up 
the old and all that it held ; to follow the new with all that it 
shall hold for us — this, the hardest task of all, becomes the 
Giver of Life and Light and Immortality. 

It is to be clearly understood that no one can receive the 
Temple Degree — Knight of the Eose and Cross — who has 
not at least taken the first year's instructions in Soul Sci- 
ence, and who does not possess the text-books that form a 
part of the instructions. 

A chain can be only as strong as its weakest link, and an 
Order can be of greatest service only when its members un- 
derstand the laws of which each member is to make use in 
his service to humankind. If there is but one member who 
is ignorant of these laws, the whole Fraternity will be 
judged by the ignorance of that member, and its services 
will be appreciated accordingly. 

SOUL SCIENCE 

Soul Science is the science that teaches equal develop- 
ment of the physical, the mental, and that which concerns 
the soul, giving perfect balance and harmony in their cul- 
ture. 

Soul Science is not simply a religion. It is a Science-Phi- 
losophy-Religion ; and it is in perfect harmony with the 
teachings of Jesus, the great Master. It is founded not on 
theory, but on facts — material, tangible facts — the teach- 
ings of the Masters, proved true and scientific, and appli- 
cable and practical, time and time again. 



8 Soul Science 

Mind is mortal and dies with the body ; but that which the 
mind builds — the Soul — lives on through eternity. This 
power, which the mind is able to build, and which we recog- 
nize as the Soul, is the greatest power man can know — a 
power that is a thousand times greater than the mind. 

The power of the Soul can be used to regain health when 
you are ill, to maintain it when you are well and strong ; to 
heal others, in fact, to attain perfect development and to 
gain success in every branch of endeavor, if you know how 
to use it. Soul Science teaches how to use it. It teaches 
even how the poverty-stricken man can rise above his con- 
ditions, and become a success in the business world, and a 
credit to himself and to his God. It teaches the unhappy 
how to become happy. 

The Name 

As the name, Soul Science, indicates, the teaching is, pri- 
marily, the science of Soul Illumination, or the science of 
the Soul : it unfolds and interprets the laws and the princi- 
ples underlying the growth, the culture, and the training 
of soul powers. Every science implies its corresponding 
art. These instructions, when applied, become the finest of 
fine arts — the art of the interpretation of truth ; the art of 
the application of truth to human needs; the art of culti- 
vating and encouraging the most delicate graces of heart, 
the most subtle uses of thought power, the most refined 
touches and imaginings of consciousness; the art of "right- 
eous judgment;" the art of putting a kind interpretation 
on the deeds of others; in short, the art of the Christ-life. 
They become an art that constantly lures one on to perfec- 
tion — a perfection, however, that as constantly evades and 
escapes one's grasp; yet, with every escape, it lures the 
more enticingly. The science and the art of illumination 
must go hand in hand : the one giving a clear understanding 
of the laws of truth, the other making practical application 
of these laws to the needs of life. 



Temple op Illuminati 9 

SOUL SCIENCE AND SUCCESS 

The title, Soul Science and Success, emphasizes the prin- 
ciple that culture of soul leads to success. It is based on 
the conviction that success is secured through the intelligent 
direction of well-trained thought powers. True success is a 
practical application of the law : ' ' Seek ye first the kingdom 
of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be 
added unto you." In this, it is to be understood that the 
kingdom of God means the establishment of love, truth, and 
justice in the thought-kingdom of man's consciousness. In 
proportion as these divine qualities have become the actuat- 
ing principle of a man's thought-life, in that proportion 
has he reached the vibrations of true success. Acceptable, 
worthy service attracts its corresponding reward. The in- 
culcation, in a person's nature, of the qualities of love, 
truth, and justice, and the intelligent direction of well- 
trained thought powers, will increase his efficiency in what- 
ever profession he may serve; thus, through the study and 
the practice of Soul Science principles, an ever-increasing 
success is assured him. 



SOUL SCIENCE AND IMMORTALITY 

The designation, Soul Science and Immortality, is also 
given to this system of instructions. The significance of this 
name is due to the fact that Soul is the only immortal part 
of man 's nature, and that Illumination of Soul leads to Con- 
scious Immortality. At the transition period known as 
death, the body returns to the great storehouse of elements 
whence it came; the spirit, or life-principle, returns to the 
universal storehouse of spirit, or universal life, whence it 
came; the mind does not continue as an individual entity; 
whereas, the soul is that part of man 's being that continues 
to exist. Its existence may be of various stages : as, it may 
exist in a chaotic state, little more than a crude mingling 
of good and evil ; or, it may be in the primitive stages of a 
nucleus, in which the good is beginning to take more or less 



10 Soul Science 

definite shape and to act as a transmuting influence over the 
evil ; or, it may have reached an advanced stage of purifica- 
tion such that it is a well-formed center of light, pure and 
radiant. Thus, "the light that lighteth all the world" has 
become individualized and self-existent. "When the soul 
has become a nucleus of light it has become an immortal en- 
tity. This is the true illumination, this is immortality of 
soul. From this, it is seen that immortality of soul is not 
something thrust upon mankind, whether he will or no, that 
it is not an inevitable fate which man is destined to meet, 
regardless of his own choice ; but rather is it true that im- 
mortality of soul is something to be attained, something in 
the attainment of which man may have conscious part and 
free choice. The stage of development known as Immor- 
tality of Soul is a goal aimed at in the Soul Science instruc- 
tions. 



SOUL SCIENCE TELLS HOW 

The Philosophy of Soul Science shows how a soul can be 
built, or developed. It shows how such graces and such 
powers of soul as one desires can be developed. You are 
told how to meet success in the financial world and how to 
draw things to you that you need and desire. This is to be 
done not through exercising control over others, but by in- 
creasing one's own efficiency in rendering service to others. 
No point needs more clear and explicit emphasis than the 
fact that Soul Science does not countenance any phase of 
hypnotic control, or mastery, over others in order to bring 
benefit to oneself. Soul Science stands for the cultivation 
of the self and of mastery over one's own self. Soul Science 
always and forever stands for the principle that success is 
to be attained through an exercise of one's own inner 
powers and resources in channels of usefulness to human- 
ity; that success is to be attained through an increase of 
proficiency and competency in some line of service. Soul 
Science teaches how to cultivate one's resources and how to 



Temple op Illuminati 11 

increase one's proficiency and competency. It stands on 
the principle of thoroughness, and makes use of no "suc- 
cess-in-a-day " method of instruction. 

The mission of Soul Science is Unity. You can believe in 
any religion you desire, and still accept every word of Soul 
Science. Its predominating mission is to show humanity 
that the Great Teacher is here now, ready and willing to 
help you find the Christ at his second coming — the present. 

This is the only Philosophy that will help you in all con- 
ditions of life, as it equally develops all the elements of phy- 
sical, mental, and spiritual existence. Development along 
one line to the neglect of others would make of you a phy- 
sical, mental, or moral cripple. Your happiness demands 
good health, a prosperous business, harmonious social condi- 
tions, and a sane understanding of a true Philosophy or Ee- 
ligion. All these desirable and necessary things will be 
yours when you understand Soul Science Philosophy, and 
when your Soul becomes strong enough to control your 
thoughts in the midst of life's affairs. 

The Great Law is that the desire within us to do a certain 
thing or to accomplish a noble and worthy purpose in life 
is proof that we have the capacity to do that very thing. 
"We may not be able to do them at this very minute. We 
doubtless need to cultivate and to develop the powers and 
the energies with which to accomplish. But, in time, through 
persistent and faithful effort, it is ours to accomplish, to 
achieve, to attain, to dare, to do. It is our sacred duty to 
realize our highest ideals, and to recognize and develop to 
the utmost the powers, forces, and energies latent within us. 
This is the mission of Soul Science — to show the student 
how to awaken and arouse from the sleep of latency the 
manifold resources of his own being. 

The time is past for men, and especially women, to sit 
down with folded hands and wait for things to come to 
them — things which may never come without the exercise of 
great Soul Power. You perhaps feel that you possess a 
power, a force, which, if you could but learn its proper use, 
would help you to achieve the things you desire. It is the 



12 Soul Science 

development of this power that we teach, in order that you 
may fulfil your deepest desires. 

The Power op Thought 

If you fully understood the power of Thought Force, its 
laws, its principles, its might ; and if you were proficient in 
directing Thought Force in harmony with a correct under- 
standing of its laws — then, you would be able to dissolve 
the earth by a single thought and to create another world 
by another thought. This is not to say, however, that ex- 
penditure of Thought Force in channels of demonstration 
and display is under any circumstances to be encouraged. 
This is merely a statement of fact concerning the possibili- 
ties of Thought Force in the hands of one who is in reality 
an Adept in its use. Nevertheless, it is to be emphasized 
that the true Adept is guided and guarded against the pos- 
sibility of making harmful use of Thought Force. Under 
all conditions he will use the power only for good and 
worthy purposes. An Adept is one who has full, complete, 
and remarkable use of Thought Force. Yet, there is no 
room for discouragement in the belief that you cannot be- 
come an Adept. Even a limited knowledge of the laws of 
thought, together with the power of thought control, which 
is gained through Soul Development, will enable you to 
gratify every worthy ambition. 

This "Magic of Mind" has been proved time and again 
to be most powerful for directing things in the way man 
wishes them to be. It has been said that mind is all; but 
this statement is not true. Mind simply acts as a builder ; 
and unless man builds Soul, all dies with the body, and the 
opportunity for an eternally existing Soul is lost for that 
particular lifetime. 

Thought being thus powerful, how much more powerful 
must be the Soul that has been builded by a mind that un- 
derstands the laws, principles, and powers of thought! 
Thinking creative thoughts, forming habits of constructive 
and wholesome thought, awakening the Soul from its long 



Temple of Illuminati 13 

sleep of latency, is the true method for obtaining power; 
and, if this is accomplished in the right way, such a Soul, 
built in such a way, is eternal. 

All Rests With You 

Your body, your environments, your finances, your op- 
portunity, are all of your own making. In order to make 
them according to your truest desires and loftiest ambitions, 
it is necessary to know the Great Laws. The Master Jesus 
taught that he who had awakened and developed the Soul 
should have all needful things. Soul Science Philosophy 
tells how to develop — to awaken — to find — the Soul. Being 
potentially a Son of the living God, these things are yours 
by divine right. If you do not understand them, whose 
fault is it? You cannot blame your fellowman. You can- 
not blame your Creator. Then who is to blame ? 

Man was born potentially a creator, after the likeness of 
God, the Creator of all things. Jesus taught that the things 
he did we could do also. Even more, he told us plainly that 
greater things we should do. You are, in degree, a creator 
now. Though not understanding the laws of creative 
thought, it may be that you are creating for yourself mis- 
ery, failure, and sorrow ; for perhaps you are reversing the 
great laws. 

Do you know that you have the power to make yourself 
what you will? It rests with you whether you become a 
success or a failure. Success in all things lies within the 
palms of your hands, if you but know the laws that control 
body, mind, and soul. It is the knowledge of these Great 
Laws that the Soul Science Philosophy teaches. To follow 
the instructions requires very little formal or verbal faith ; 
for when the student obeys the laws, results must become 
manifest. There can be no failure, if one gives persistent, 
honest, faithful, conscientious attention to the task of Soul 
Development. As in working at the building of a house, if 
the plans are correct, results are sure. 



14 Soul Science 

Made in the image of God and endowed with god-like 
qualities, man contains the spark or germ of Godhood with- 
in his nature. It needs but the proper development of this 
spark of divinity to attain health, prosperity, and happi- 
ness ; for these are his birthright by divine decree. Had man 
alone been the one who decreed, it might have been differ- 
ent; but it was God Himself who made the divine decree 
and made man in His own image. 

Man's Soul is a mighty Magnetic Force. It attracts or 
draws to it that which it likes, repelling that which it dis- 
likes. 

Demand for Proper Teachers 

The prejudices of the past centuries are being swept 
away. Never in the world's history has there been such a 
demand for true teachers. The time has come when workers 
are needed. The field is large and the workers are few. 
The Soul cannot advance unless it is active. It must have 
the chance to accumulate force from the planes of those who 
have achieved great Soulual knowledge and development. 
It cannot advance if it slumbers any more than man can 
exist without working. The world is actually starving for 
the truth. There are many who are hungry, thirsty, seek- 
ing paths of light ; and we must reach them. 

The Masters of all ages are with us, lending us strength 
and power; for the time has come for a great change in 
the religious world. The Messiah is here and the world 
knows it not. He has come again even unto his own, but his 
own know it not. It is necessary to send out Messengers of 
Truth, to band all together in one complete bond ,of unity. 
Souls are worth more than all else ; for through powers and 
energies and potencies of Soul can all things be achieved. 

Not only should you enroll for your own success, but to 
enable you to become the helper and the healer of others. 
Millions are ready and waiting. Your friends who are sick, 
discouraged, and in sorrow will be only too glad to grasp at 
the life-line that you may throw them. 



Temple op Illuminati 15 

The Instructions 

The Preliminary Course in Soul Science, covering the 
first year's work, includes one typewritten lesson a week, 
and the following books : 

' ' Soul Science, the Way to Immortality, ' ' 

"Christhood," 

' ' The Illuminated Faith, ' ' 

"The Divine Law." 

A nominal fee of twenty-five dollars is asked for the first 
year to cover the cost of printing the text-books, the lessons, 
etc. Of this amount, a small percentage goes to each teacher 
in the field for living expenses. 

The healing work connected with this school is free. Con- 
tributions are thankfully received and are used in further- 
ing the great work. 

The whole privileges of the temple are included in the 
above. 

Second Year's Work 

Beginning with the second year, the lessons are semi- 
monthly. This is for the reason that each lesson contains, 
besides instructions concerning some aspect of the Divine 
Law, a Sacred Mantram, which, if followed by the student, 
will help him or her toward Illumination of Soul. Best re- 
sults are obtained by using the same Mantram two weeks or 
longer. 

The text-book included in this course is "The Christie 
Interpretation of the Gospel of St. John." 

A nominal charge of $12.50 is made for the second year's 
instructions, including text-book and privilege of personal 
letters of instruction. Contributions toward the work are 
also received, which help to keep up the work. 

Third Year's Work 

The work for the third and last year is a continuation of 
the second year's work, leading the student more and more 
toward Illumination of Soul, or Soul Consciousness, through 
the use of Sacred Mantrams. 



16 Soul Science 

The text-book for this year is ' ' Christisis. ' ' 
A nominal return of $12.50 is asked for the third year's 
instructions, including text-book and privilege of personal 
help through correspondence. Contributions toward the 
cause are gratefully received, which help to extend the 
work. 

Three Years' Course 
If they so desire, students may enroll for the entire three 
years' course. In this case, a nominal charge of forty-five 
dollars is made for the entire instructions, which includes 
all books listed in the catalog of books following this an- 
nouncement. 

THE TEMPLE OF ILLUMINATION 

The Temple of Illumination is the great outer body of the 
Temple of the Illuminati. It is the outer circle, an organi- 
zation of kindred souls, who are interested in the truth, who 
want a pure and illuminated religion, but who do not de- 
sire to go deeply into any religious or philosophical train- 
ing. 

Each age demands a distinctive type of interpretation of 
truth, adapted to the requirements of that particular period 
of history. Truth is ever the same. Divine Laws have 
not changed since the beginning of time. But the world of 
thought advances; and each outgoing cycle requires a lay- 
ing aside of its cloak, as the snake sheds its skin, that the 
incoming cycle may be "clothed upon" with a new gar- 
ment, better suited to its needs. The texture and the de- 
signs and the coloring of the cloak of thought are deter- 
mined by the particular emphasis that a given age employs 
in the interpretation of truth. For the human race to be 
enriched by all the varied aspects that truth and its realiza- 
tion may assume, it is necessary for the cloak of interpreta- 
tion to be doffed and donned, again and again, in accord- 
ance with the laws of progress; it is necessary for a new 
system of emphasis in the interpretation of truth to be for- 
mulated from time to time. 



Temple op Illuminati 17 

The doffing of an old interpretation and the donning of a 
new mark a transition period that is attended by unsettled- 
ness of mind and by perplexity of thought. It is truly a 
period of stress and strain. The world of religions ideas is 
now in a transitional stage. To satisfy this need, the Tem- 
ple of Illumination offers a new system of interpretation — 
an interpretation that claims to be the natural outgrowth of 
the cyclic stages through which the world has already 
passed. The law of cyclic changes indicates that the time 
is ripe for a re-statement of religious principles, for a new 
presentation of fundamental laws. The unrest and the 
hunger of the present transitional stage of thought demands 
a different placing of emphasis in respect to the essentials 
of truth. 

The religious thought of the past few centuries has been 
largely characterized by faith and belief. In respect to the 
teachings of Jesus, the Christ of the first century, the race- 
conception of truth has been passing through the period of 
childhood and early youth. Childhood is marked particu- 
larly by faith. The child has faith in his father. The child 
believes in his father's works and in his principles. When 
young manhood is attained, he is no longer satisfied with 
mere belief: he must demonstrate his faith by executing 
ideals; he must do such works as his father does. As a 
young man, he still has faith in his father ; but his faith now 
demands the opportunity to exercise its own powers and to 
accomplish its own works. Religious teachings in the past 
has been largely occupied in the effort to convince man- 
kind of the Messiahship of Jesus, and to establish the claims 
of the Christ. But mere belief does not long satisfy. ' ' Faith 
without works is dead ' ' is something more than a trite say- 
ing. It is a law of growth that faith must demonstrate its 
powers ; it must work out its principles ; it must execute ; it 
must create. The incoming age should be one that is char- 
acterized by the power of intelligent faith, one that exe- 
cutes ideals in harmony with a faith that understands di- 
vine law. 



18 Soul Science 

A clear distinction should be made between blind faith 
and intelligent, or a seeing, faith; between a faith that is 
passive and a faith that is active; between an inert and a 
living faith; between faith in a personality and faith in a 
principle, faith in a Jesus and faith in the Christ. Jesus is 
the name of a man, a personality. The Christ is the name 
of the Illumined Soul of Jesus. Jesus, as an historic char- 
acter, lived his earth life, and passed out of the plane of 
manifestation. The Christ, as a divine principle developed 
and individualized in Jesus, is eternal; as an Illumined 
Soul, the Christ is immortal. Faith in Jesus, as a person- 
ality merely, is a blind faith. Faith in the Christ, as a state 
of consciousness that all may attain by living the teachings 
of Jesus and by obeying the law of love he demonstrated, 
is an intelligent faith. 

To meet the need of the age in its demand for an inter- 
pretation of the laws of the spiritual kingdom, is one pur- 
pose of the Church of Illumination. That it is possible for 
man to understand and that it is necessary for him to un- 
derstand in order that he may intelligently obey the law 
and live a life in harmony with it, is a settled conviction 
among leaders of religious thought today. 

That Immortality of Soul is attainable is a fundamental 
doctrine of the Temple of Illumination. Immortality of 
Soul, however, is not thought of as something that is thrust 
on all alike, regardless of their desire or their seeking. It is 
not an inevitable factor of existence. The positive law of 
goodness functioning in the lives of men leads to Immortal- 
ity of Soul, or to Soul Consciousness. In each life is a 
spark, or a germ, of the divine nature. This divine spark is 
the potential Christ, or the potential individual Soul, of 
that life. This may be nurtured and fed until it becomes 
"the light that lighteth all the world" of man's conscious- 
ness. When man becomes conscious of this light within his 
own Being, when he recognizes and obeys its "still, small 
voice, ' ' he has reached the state called Illumination of Soul, 
or Immortality ; or, to express the same thought differently, 
he has reached the plane of Soul Consciousness. 



Temple of Illuminati 19 

The divine spark latent in each, individual may become a 
well-formed center of pure, white light. It may become a 
dynamic nucleus of fire — the Fire of Love, the Light of 
Truth. This fact gives the key to the significance of the. 
name, Temple of Illumination. The name signifies that 
each individual is capable of becoming a center of illumi- 
nation. Man is the Temple of Illumination, the Temple of 
the living Christ. Man is the architect of the temple of 
Solomon, which is a spiritual structure. The purified love 
of his own heart and the clarified understanding of his own 
soul become the altar-fire of this temple. This flame un- 
consciously radiates its light of understanding and its 
warmth of love and ' ' good- will toward men. ' ' 

The Temple of Illumination does not point to a heaven 
that awaits the faithful in the hereafter nor to a hell that 
reserves its torments for the wicked in the beyond, nor does 
it picture God as a personal judge of right and wrong. 
Heaven and hell are states of consciousness that begin here 
and now. Adjustments, results, and consequences are not 
postponed to a future life; they begin in the present and 
continue until satisfaction is made. Man's conscience, the 
God within, the Soul, is judge. Man will never find, nor 
will he need, a more exacting and severe judge than his own 
conscience ; when its verdict has released him he is released 
indeed. 

The will of God is supreme in the universe, operating di- 
rectly or indirectly through the Hierarchies of angelic and 
ethereal forces and agencies. The Divine "Will manifests 
its supremacy through the operation of natural laws, rather 
than by direct and personal control or interference. The 
superiority of the Divine Will, manifesting itself in the 
natural functioning of laws rather than by specific control, 
finds its necessary corollary in the individual responsibility 
of man. Man is responsible for becoming an intelligent 
channel for the functioning of divine law. The degree of 
man's ascent toward the divine image in which he was cre- 
ated, is determined by the degree of his understanding of 



20 Soul Science 

these laws and their natural operation, and of his ability to 
live in harmony with them, and, consciously or uncon- 
sciously, to direct and to use them for the betterment of the 
world in which he is placed. He recognizes in the One 
Spirit, the Fatherhood of God; and, in proportion as he 
lives in accord with the divine purpose, does he testify by 
his life to a practical recognition of the Brotherhood of 
Man. 

The most important of the principles emphasized by the 
Temple of Illumination may be re-stated and condensed as 
follows : 

Although the "Will of God is supreme in the universe, its 
supremacy is manifested by the operation of impersonal 
and impartial law and by a system of hierarchial ministry, 
rather than by specific control. 

The divine law of justice manifests itself in the absolute 
operation of the principle of cause and effect ; thus, reward 
and punishment are natural consequences resulting from 
the operation of forces set into motion by individual or col- 
lective agencies. 

Since all things are created by God and all human powers 
are endowed by Him, they are, in themselves, good; but, 
through ignorance or through a perverted disposition, man 
may misuse his inherent powers, and thus cause evil. 

Being made in the image of God and being potentially 
an epitome of the universe, it is intended that, through the 
process of salvation, or regeneration, man should cultivate 
his inherent qualities until he attains the state of Christ- 
hood, or Illumination of Soul, or Individual Immortality — 
a state that indicates the entrance into a higher plane of 
consciousness and usefulness. 

But, being honored with the right of choice, it is possible 
for man, through continued, persistent wrong doing and 
wrong thinking, to diffuse and to disintegrate his powers 
of soul to such an extent that individual immortality is un- 
attainable. 

The cyclic wave of progress demands for this age an in- 
terpretation of the Law that enabled Jesus to bring into 



Temple op Illuminati 21 

conscious expression His own Christhood, or Sonship with 
God. The faith of the age demands a testing of the Christ 
Principles, and a verification, in individual consciousness, 
of the Christ-claim for man : ' ' Ye are the temples of the liv- 
ing God ; ' ' and ' ' Greater things than these shall ye do. ' ' 



THE CHRISTIC INTERPRETATION AND MYSTIC 
CHRISTIANITY 

The Christie Interpretation and Mystic Christianity are 
a part of the Temple of Illumination ; they refer to the 
teaching of a religion that is free from iron-clad dogmas 
and fettering creeds, they aim at unity and true brother- 
hood. 

Christie Interpretation, or Mystic Christianity, encour- 
ages freedom of individual conscience and freedom of in- 
vestigation. It claims to be a science and a philosophy as 
well as a religion. It bases its claims as a religion on these 
facts: that it interprets God and truth to human nature; 
that it speaks to the needs of the human heart ; that it dis- 
penses a reasonable comfort for the ills and the vicissitudes 
of human experience, by interpreting them in the light of 
reason, love, and justice; that, by bringing God into the 
consciousness, it satisfies the nameless and indescribable 
longing of the human soul; that it is built on the founda- 
tion-rock of prayer — prayer the answer to which is deter- 
mined not by favoritism, but by an intelligent appropria- 
tion of the divine law of supply and demand. 

It bases its claim as a science on the fact that it is built 
on the orderly arrangement of fundamental knowledge — 
knowledge concerning the laws of cause and effect in human 
experience; knowledge concerning the creative power of 
thought; knowledge concerning the laws of attainment, the 
conditions of accomplishment, the methods of realization 
and fulfilment; knowledge concerning the principles that 
underlie the transmutation of undesirable thought environ- 
ment into desirable; knowledge that seeks practical appli- 



22 Soul Science 

cation not only explaining the existing conditions of life 
but also indicating the laws that make possible the improve- 
ment of such conditions. 

As a Philosophy, it endeavors to trace first principles in 
the realms of mind and soul, and to lift the veil that hides 
from the untrained eye the vital connection between a given 
effect and its necessitating cause. It clears one's vision 
regarding what is worth striving after in life. It gives sat- 
isfaction in regard to what is the ultimate end and aim of 
existence. Not to comprehend all knowledge is the criterion 
of a philosopher ; but to love wisdom and to seek wisdom in 
regard to the vital interests of human experience. Such 
wisdom constitutes a practical philosophy. When the in- 
dividual has established in his understanding a reasonably 
satisfactory philosophy of life, he is free to give all his en- 
ergy in service to others; for his energies are not distracted 
and scattered by doubts, fears, and annoyances; his 
strength and Adtal forces are not depleted by unnecessary 
vexation of spirit ; his interests and his attention are not di- 
vided between this, that, and the other. A philosophy that 
satisfies, gives to him that holds it peace and poise of mind ; 
thereby he is enabled to give undivided attention to service 
for others. 

In order to understand fundamental principles, it is 
necessary to explain the meaning of certain terms, and to 
indicate clearly the content of certain expressions as they 
are generally used in Illuminati literature. In current writ- 
ings on religious, psychologic, and philosophic subjects, 
there is more or less confusion in the use of certain words ; 
such as, mind, soul, spirit. Again, there is a dearth of ex- 
pressions and a need of coining words to express necessary 
ideas. There is no adjective or noun to denote the attri- 
butes of the Individualized Soul, corresponding to the 
words, spiritual and spirituality ; while the words, spiritual 
and spirituality, are confusing. For, by their derivation, 
they ought to signify one thing, whereas, in common usage, 
they are employed to signify something else far removed 
from their derivative significance. It has been suggested 



Temple of Illuminati 23 

to use the words, soulual and souluality, to designate the at- 
tributes of the Illumined Soul. 

The words, mind, soul, and spirit, are often used loosely ; 
sometimes even interchangeably. General usage has estab- 
lished for each one many different shades of meaning. This 
affords variety and wealth of expression; but, by this free- 
dom of usage, one who is striving to form a satisfactory 
correlation of ideas is led to confusion of thought and to 
inaccuracy of concept. A fine and careful distinction be- 
tween these words has never become universally established. 
Different writers and different schools of thought place 
their own interpretation on these terms. A good way to de- 
termine a writer's concept of words is to read all available 
literature from his pen, and to note by the context their sig- 
nificance. Thus, in time one reaches a satisfactory compre- 
hension of their content as used by that particular writer ; 
also, one gains a sensitive grasp of their significance — a 
grasp that transcends the niceties of definition. However, 
it is possible to formulate some important distinctions in re- 
gard to this class of words as used in Illuminati literature. 

The word, spirit, as herein employed, refers to the breath 
of life, or to life itself, or to the life-principle. It is common 
to man, animals, and all animate beings. It is a generic 
term rather than a specific, or individual; and, as such, it 
emphasizes the fact that the spirit of man, at the transition 
state called death, returns to the universal storehouse of 
spirit, or life, and does not continue its existence as an in- 
dividuality. Thus, the spirit of man is mortal — mortal as 
an individualization. To be sure, it is eternal in the sense 
that its particled elements return to the great universal 
garner of vital essences ready to be used in other manifesta- 
tions; it is eternal in the sense that, although all is subject 
to change and renewal of form, according to the divine 
economy, nothing really perishes, nothing is lost. 

The distinction between mind and soul can best be made 
by pointing out their relation to each other. To understand 
this relationship at the beginning of one's study, is exceed- 
ingly important ; for it is fundamental not only in grasping 



24 Soul Science 

ideas, but particularly in learning to apply these ideas to 
practical methods of growth. These distinctions are not to 
be thought of as hard and fast definitions of terms, but 
rather as various ways of making clear the essential content 
of terms as used by this school of thought. The purpose is 
not to define the nomenclature of a science for the mere 
sake of doing so or for the sake of satisfying a cold, exact- 
ing, scientific type of mind, but to make clear to the earnest 
sincere seeker the content of essential terms, that he may be 
able to apply the teachings to his own personal needs. 

The first distinction to be made is that mind is mortal, 
while soul is immortal. Mind is mortal as an individualiza- 
tion. Mind is not an entity; it is a fusion of bodily and 
spiritual elements. It is the connecting link between body, 
soul, and spirit. It is not wholly of the body, nor is it 
wholly of the spirit. It is the link between them, the silver 
cord that binds the three together, and makes manifestation 
possible. 

Again, mind is the creative principle of man's nature, 
while soul is the receptive principle. Man uses mind as a 
creating implement, or a creating agency. Through the 
power of mind, man becomes a creator. In this faculty, he 
stands alone. The animal is a creator in regard to its own 
species, but in no other sense. Man is a creator not only 
in respect to his own species, but in respect to other things 
as well. He creates character ; he creates thought environ- 
ment; in large measure, he has created the conditions by 
which his life is surrounded. In large measure, he has the 
ability to change conditions, the ability to improve them if 
he will. This ability to alter, to transform, to improve, is 
one aspect of his creative tendencies. The Soul, being the 
receptive principle of man 's nature, is the storehouse, or the 
receptacle, or the resultant, of that which his mind creates. 

"When man realizes that the soul is the result of his own 
creation, and that it partakes of the nature of his own cre- 
ative thought, he will learn to be careful what thoughts and 
what moods he allows in his life. More than this, he will 
see that it is necessary to put forth conscious, deliberate 



Temple op Illuminati 25 

effort, and to give himself effective training, in order that 
the creations of his mind may be pure, holy, and worthy. 
In time, he will come to be actuated by one desire, namely : 
the desire to create no thought image and to mold no 
thought form except that which is in harmony with the 
love, truth, and justice of the Christ Ideal. 

Another way of expressing the relation between mind 
and soul is to regard mind as the realm of causation ; while 
soul is the result of causation, or the accumulation of that 
which mind has caused. Man's thought kingdom is his 
Cause World. His thoughts have power to produce changes, 
to bring about results, to affect conditions, to create environ- 
ment. The wise man voiced this law when he said: "A 
merry heart doeth good like a medicine. ' ' Each one knows 
in his own experience how true it is that he accomplishes 
more when his mind — his cause world — is tempered by the 
atmosphere of peace, poise, and composure. 

When man realizes that the soul is the result of his own 
causation and that its character corresponds to the type of 
influences he allows in his own thought kingdom, he will be- 
come active and earnest in securing masterful control in his 
realm of causes. To be able to take one's place on the 
throne of the cause world and to issue and execute such de- 
crees as are in harmony with the love, truth, and justice of 
the Christ Character — to be able to do this will become his 
highest ambition. To this end he will put forth every ef- 
fort; he will give to his will-power a rigorous course of 
training ; to his desire nature he will apply every plausible 
means of cleansing and purifying; his understanding he 
will subject to patient instruction in the principles of love, 
truth, and justice. 

Sacred literature is replete with figures which illustrate, 
from different points of view, the creative, or active, princi- 
ple of mind, and the receptive, or passive, principle of soul. 
A favorite figure among all nations represents mind as the 
builder, or the architect, and Soul as the temple of charac- 
ter that is builded by the power of mind. In this building 
process, mind takes the initiative; mind executes choices, 



26 Soul Science 

selects material, rejects material, according to its own judg- 
ment ; mind makes decisions and executes will-power. The 
builder may pass away, or return whence it came; but the 
temple stands as a living testimony to the desires, the 
choices, the decisions, the imaginations, the thoughts, that 
the architect permitted to enter as building-material into 
his structure. 

"When man realizes that the soul is the result of his own 
building, that the edifice of character is the result of the 
mind's selecting, rejecting, and executing, he will spare no 
pains in giving himself such training as a Master Architect 
needs. 

Man is made in the image of God. He is a reflection of 
the Infinite, possessing the powers and the attributes of the 
Infinite. In different beings, these divine qualities are in 
different stages of unfoldment. In one, they may be in a 
latent state, concealed from view beneath the crust of a 
selfish personality; but, unless they have been burned and 
seared by the fire of persistent wrong doing, they are none 
the less a potentiality, awaiting the unfolding processes of 
growth. In another, they may be in the incipient stages of. 
a nucleus of goodness. In this state, they indicate an ac- 
tive, wholesome conscience ; although the life may be pain- 
fully entangled and fettered and hampered by the lower 
personality. Yet, again, these qualities may have become a 
dynamic, vital expression of individualized life, such that 
the soul is conscious of its inseparable connection with the 
Infinite. They may have condensed into a center of radia- 
tion, into a perfect, pyramidal flame that warms the desire 
nature with love, and illumines the understanding with 
truth. In this state, the divine qualities of love, truth, and 
justice unconsciously radiate, to those with whom the life 
comes in contact, the blessings of their inherent goodness. 

Creation is the manifestation of the Divine Mind. All 
things, having been created by God, are, in themselves, 
good; but, through free-will, man may pervert the good by 



Temple of Illuminati 27 

wrong use, and thus cause evil ; he may misdirect possibili- 
ties that are inherently blessed, and thus bring on himself 
and others a painful curse. 

In his fourfold nature, body, mind, spirit, and soul, man 
is an epitome of the universe. Potentially, he is the divine 
creation in miniature, and, consequently, has been called 
the microcosm, or little world. He is the climax and the 
culmination of forces, which for ages have been seeking ex- 
pression. How to use his forces and to express them har- 
moniously, is the problem placed before him. To use them 
in harmony with the Divine Law and the divine purpose 
and to express them only in service to mankind — this is the 
ideal he must be led to understand and to choose for him- 
self. To use his powers and his possibilities in obedience to 
the law of goodness and in keeping with the correct under- 
standing of truth, leads to good. To pervert his powers 
and to misdirect his inherent possibilities in channels of 
error and sin, result in evil. 

God has placed no higher mark of honor on man than to 
give him the right of choice, the power of decision, and the 
ability to direct will-power and to execute plans in accord- 
ance with his own decree. Every power, is, in itself, good, 
although it admits of a twofold expression, positive and 
negative. Every law of his nature is, in itself, good, al- 
though it admits of a twofold functioning, constructive and 
upbuilding or destructive and disintegrating. The use one 
makes of a law determines its effect. Every virtue admits 
of a corresponding vice. Results depend on the use given to 
power, on the direction that a tendency takes. Every force, 
every possibility, placed within man's reach is intended to 
serve a certain noble purpose. "When used in harmony with 
the law of its highest purpose, the result is good. When 
perverted or misused, the results are evil. It is time for 
man to understand that he is individually responsible for 
putting forth intelligent effort to understand the laws of his 
own being and to obey their highest call. 

One distinctive aim of the Temple of Illumination is to 
give clear instructions concerning the laws of right and 



28 Soul Science 

justice in order that man may intelligently choose his steps, 
and know how to cultivate his manifold powers and to di- 
rect them in proper channels. 

Christie Interpretation and Mystic Christianity, as here- 
in outlined, are not a teaching separate and distinct from 
the lessons as taught in Soul Science, but form a part of 
these teachings. The books, "Christie Interpretation of 
St. Matthew," "The Illuminated Faith of St. John," and 
"The Son of God," as well as "Christisis" give these teach- 
ings in full and are a part of the courses of study given in 
the various departments of the Illuminati. 

Hibwever, it is not necessary for one to take the instruc- 
tions in Soul Science. But simply to secure and read the 
text-books as outlined herein, entitles one to membership in 
the Temple of Illumination. 

In order to belong to the Temple of the Illuminati, which 
is the inner circle, it is necessary to enroll for the course of 
lessons in Soul Science, and to secure the text-books that are 
included in this course of study. 

The seeker after truth should bear in mind that any of 
these books may be bought separately and without obliga- 
tion on his part to join either the Temple of Illuminati or 
the Temple of Illumination. 

Membership is optional on the part of students, and is 
for those who desire fellowship with others who are seeking 
the truth, and for those who understand that only in unity 
can the greatest amount of good be accomplished. 

Address all communications to the Director, 

R. Swinburne Clymer. 

Allentown, Pa. 



A CATALOG OF BOOKS ON 

SOUL SCIENCE 

THE CHRISTIC INTERPRETATION 

and 

MYSTIC CHRISTIANITY 



vC? 



& 



$ 



rflHERO^ 



* /l\ % 




INNER CIRCLE 

TEMPLE OF ILLUMINATI 



All books herein listed are part of the teachings formulated and 
given by The Temples of the Illuminati and Illumination 



Published by 

THE PHILOSOPHICAL PUBLISHING CO. 

ALLENTOWN, PA. 



Catalog of Mystical Books 31 

THE SON OF QOD 

The Mystical Teachings of the Master 

or 

The Christie Interpretation 

The old edition of the book called, "The Son of Man," 
is sold out ; and so great is the demand for it that it has been 
completely re-written and much enlarged, and harmonized 
with the teachings as given by the Temple of Illumination. 

Preface. 

In the Preface is summarized the fundamental principles 
of the Christie Interpretation and the characteristics of the 
Christie Law, as advocated by the Temples of Illumination 
and of the Illuminati. 

Jesus an Essene. 

In this chapter is given an historic sketch of the training 
that Jesus received among the Essenes. The harmony is 
clearly shown that exists between the teachings of the Esse- 
nes and those of the true Rosicrucian Order ; and the con- 
nection between the old Essenean Order and the Rosicru- 
cian Fraternity as founded in America by Dr. P. B. Ran- 
dolph is clearly shown. 

The Son of God. 

Here the expressions of Jesus, "The Son of Man," and 
' ' the Son of God, ' ' are used as the basis of interpretation. 
The esoteric significance of these terms furnishes the foun- 
dation of the Essenean Law and its interpretation. 

The Sages. 

In this book are given quotations from the great sages 
representing different nationalities to show that the Illumi- 
nated Masters of all ages agree in regard to the essentials 
of a living Religion and Philosophy, and that all those who 
lived in harmony with the Divine Law reached the same 
state of Soul Consciousness. 



32 Catalog of Mystical Books 

The Cream of Christie Interpretation. 

In this book is found the cream of the Christie and the 
Rosicrueian teachings. It is a book that should be given to 
your friends, whoever they may be; and it is issued with 
this especial purpose in view. 

The Booh Itself. 

The book is printed on laid paper, beautifully bound in 
silk cloth so as to harmonize with ' ' St. Matthew ' ' and with 
"St. John." It is a $1.25 book; but, as we desire that it 
shall be used as a propaganda book, we offer it for only 50 
cents. 

A limited number of these books are bound in paper, and 
can be had for only 25 cents. 

Some of the friends and the Brothers of the Illuminati 
have ordered as many as 20 copies in cloth in order to use 
them as gift books. Do not miss obtaining at least one 
copy; and, if possible, order more to present to friends 
whom you wish well. 



CHRISTHQOD 

Second of the Text=books Issued by the Temple 
of Illumination 

Christie Power can be awakened only through obedience 
to the Divine Law. When we obey this Divine Law, then is 
the Christ Child born within us ; and, if we continue in the 
way, this child grows to manhood and enters into power. 

The millions are today looking forward to a world 
teacher, to a new interpretation of the Law ; for they in- 
stinctively know that to understand the law, to live the Law, 
is to give man power. 

" Christhood'' " gives positive instructions concerning the 
power to be obtained through soul development. It not only 
hints at the powers, but it gives many clear instructions as 
to how to live in order that these powers may be obtained. 



Catalog of Mystical Books 33 

. contents 
The Christ. 

Showing who and what the Christ is. The Son of God; 
His Work ; the Inner Man ; how you may become the Son of 
God. 

The Divine in Man. 

Showing that all men are Divine if they but awaken the 
Divinity within them. It elucidates the meaning of "Man 
being the Temple of the Living God." 

Development. 

Giving the laws for the inner development that lead to 
Real Initiation. It also gives many of the laws and rules 
for Soul Development. 

Formology. 

Showing the necessity of forming a clear idea of what 
you wish to be. Also of the necessity of developing this 
idea. Full mental laws are given. 

Power of Love. 

One of the greatest powers in the universe. It shows how 
all things may be accomplished. 

Christ and Osiris. 

Showing how the principles of the Christ and Osiris were 
the same, and much of ancient initiation is also given. 

Development and Employment. 

Proving that it is not necessary for the student to give up 
honest labor to become a Leader or Master. 

The Religion Demanded by the People. 

Millions realize that a true religion — a religion of the 
heart and soul — is much needed. Many grope in darkness, 
never finding light. The beauties and practical points of 
this religion are clearly set forth. 



34 Catalog of Mystical Books 

Temple of Illumination. 

Giving a discourse on the Temple of the Illumination of 
the Soul. The religion that millions demand, but have here- 
tofore sought in vain. Leaders are wanted everywhere. 

Healing. 

True Soul Science. Giving concisely, but fully, instruc- 
tions that are alone worth more than the cost of the book. 

Prayer. 

Explaining why prayer is and is not effective. It reveals 
this most important mystery. 

The Booh Itself. 

The book is printed on laid paper, beautifully bound in 
silk cloth and side stamped in gold. It harmonizes with the 
first text-book, "Soul Science the Way to Immortality." 
Price 75 cents, postpaid. 

SOUL SCIENCE THE WAY TO 
IMMORTALITY 

The Coming Christ 

It is universally admitted among scholars that we are on 
the Threshold of a new Dispensation. This means that we 
are expecting a new Law that shall govern all things. To 
state this more correctly, we are expecting a new interpreta- 
tion of the old Law, an interpretation that is at once prac- 
tical and mystical. 

Centuries ago, when civilization had reached a state some- 
what similar to the present, when the time was ripe for a 
new Law Giver, or a Master who should anew interpret the 
Law, Moses appeared to the civilization of that age. 

Centuries later, when the dispensation brought about by 
Moses was nearing an end, and new expectations arose 
among the people, the Master Jesus appeared and gave a 
new Interpretation to the same Laws interpreted by Moses 
centuries before. 



Catalog of Mystical Books 35 

The old cycle is at an end, a new cycle has begun; and 
there is expectation among the people of a new Age. As in 
the long past Moses gave a new interpretation to the people, 
Moses who had been taught and Initiated among the Egyp- 
tian Priesthood, and, as centuries later, the Master Jesus, 
also taught by that same Priesthood, then called the 
Essenes, so now, in the new Age, who should give forth the 
New Interpretation of the Law other than that same School 
of Priesthood ? 

Soul Science the Way to Immortality is the first of the 
text-books given out by this many-eycle-old school. In this 
book will be found a great many of the Christie Interpreta- 
tions in harmony with the coming Age ; for in this book is 
pointed out ' ' the Way, the Truth, and the Life. ' ' 

Annunciation or Conception. 

When the Soul succeeds in arousing the Mind and the 
Will to a desire for Truth, for Wisdom, and for greater 
Love, it is planting the seeds, or the Conception. Man can- 
not, and will not, accept of anything until there is some- 
thing within him which tells him that it is truth. Thus, 
when we turn from an old condition to a new one, from an 
old belief to a new belief, it is a condition of Conception 
that has taken place. 

The Confession. 

Repentance of old deeds and turning away from them, 
accepting new and higher belief in a just law and living it, 
this is repentance. It is a confession ; for to give up the old, 
and accept the new, is to confess that the old was in the 
wrong. 

Re-Birth — Baptism by Fire and the Holy Ghost. 

Few know the mystery of the Baptism by Fire. In this 
book the mystery is made so plain that all can understand 
it. The Baptism by Fire is the coming into Conscious Son- 
ship with the Father — the Birth of the Christ. 



36 Catalog of Mystical Books 

The Coming of the Christ. 

The various theories and guesses of the unenlightened 
are completely changed into Light and Understanding as 
the full truth is unfolded and the mystery concerning the 
Coming Christ is revealed. How will the Christ come? 
When will he come? "Where will he come? 

The Judgment. 

The Judgment Day has been portrayed as a day of terri- 
ble trial. What is the Judgment? When is it? Are all 
judged upon one day afar off, or is there a judgment every 
day and for every one? The Judgment has no terrors for 
those who know. The Judgment is not a day to be thought 
of with terror, but is something that we can change if we 
will. 

The Awakened Soul. 

The Soul that has awakened knows its birthright, knows 
good from evil, false from true. There are no more terrors 
of the Threshold when the soul awakens from its sleep and 
unfolds in Light and Wisdom — when Illumination is 
reached. 

Building of a Soul. 

The mystery for the millions to know ; for to know is to 
become free. There is a right way and a wrong way. The 
architect knows his plans of work, so should the soul 
builder. Every living human being must became a Soul 
builder in order to become Immortal. Many are building 
upon the sand without knowledge of the rock of truth. 

Works and Faith. 

Where there is true faith, works will be manifested. Faith 
without works is dead. He who has true faith will do the 
works according to his faith. 

Understanding and Love. 

Those who know Love understand all mysteries. Love 
is the Key to Wisdom; and Wisdom unlocks the doors to 
Understanding. 



Catalog of Mystical Books 37 

Atonement. 

The meaning of At-one-ment. Unless we become at-one 
with, the Father we cannot know the Christ. To know the 
Christ is to become Illuminated. None can reach Immor- 
tality except through the Atonement. 

Crucifixion. 

The real meaning of Crucifixion. Soul Science and the 
Christie Interpretation alone can give the true meaning. 

The Passover. 

There are few who know the true meaning of the Pass- 
over. The Passover is not a feast to be held once a year, but 
has a deeper, a mystical, or occult, meaning. None can be- 
come Immortal, none can become one with the Father, un- 
less they have gone through the Passover. 

Illumination. 

Illumination is the resurrection of the Christ. The Re- 
surrection always comes after the Passover. 

The Christ. 

If we walk as he walked we shall become like him. To 
walk as he walked is to obey the same laws that he obeyed 
and in the same way. Mere belief will not give us the 
Christ; but in believing and in doing alone is to be found 
the Christ. 

Healing. 

John the Baptist taught the Laws of the Mind, or Mental 
Healing; but Soul Science and the Christie Interpretation 
teach the Healing of the Soul. 

The Book Itself. 

The book is printed on laid paper, beautifully bound in 
silk cloth, and side and back stamped in gold. More than 
200 pages. Price $1.50, postpaid. 



38 Catalog of Mystical Books 

THE ILLUMINATED FAITH 

St. John Mystically Interpreted 

A test was recently made by the Temple of the Illuminati 
to find out what subjects most interested those whose names 
were on their mailing lists. These subjects included "Soul 
Science and Success," "Spiritual or Mystic Christianity," 
and the "Christie Interpretation." Out of five thousand 
names, the largest number was interested in Mystical Chris- 
tianity; the next largest number was interested in the 
Christie Interpretation. 

The book now offered to you is a complete and exhaustive 
Mystical Interpretation of the Gospel according to St. John, 
so well called the Philosopher of Love. 

Christhood. 

Throughout the lessons of the book, the subject of Christ- 
hood is exhaustively dealt with. Do not think that the 
method of attaining Christhood is only hinted at ; for much 
more than a hint is given concerning the subject. Indeed, 
it is carefully emphasized from many points of view. The 
teachings of St. John are treated in their entirety, and are 
fully and completely explained so that all may live the Il- 
luminated Life and become as the Christ. 

Initiation. 

Throughout these lessons it is clearly shown that Attain- 
ing the state of Christhood means that he who so attains has 
reached Mastership, or Initiation. 

Soul Consciousness. 

To reach Christhood is to become Soul Conscious. Those 
who reach Soul Consciousness reach what several well- 
known writers have named "Cosmic Consciousness." 

Illumination. 

Illumination is reached when the mind has become awak- 
ened and enlightened, and when through this awakening 
the Mind Forces are used in the building, or creation, of a 
Soul that is ' ' Consciously Conscious. ' ' 



Catalog of Mystical Books 39 

The Goal. 

St. John recognized the one great Law — that the goal of 
all human endeavor is to become a Conscious Soul, a Cosmic 
Being, and that potential Christhood is nothing less than 
this. 

The Divine Law. 

Unless man understands the Divine Law and obeys it, he 
can reach neither Christhood nor Soul Consciousness, and 
it was the labor of St. John to teach men this Law. 

Love. 

St. John has been called the Philosopher of Love because 
the base of the whole work in the redemption of man, ac- 
cording to his teachings, is love. 

The Ancient Wisdom. 

The whole Philosophy is based upon the fundamental 
principles as taught in the Ancient Wisdom by the old 
Masters. Each Law is made plain, and in many instances 
appropriate illustrations are used. 

The Crucifixion and the Resurrection. 

The old Theological explanations are no longer believed 
in by mankind, and advanced criticism does not accept 
them. In this book a clear explanation is given, and in the 
light of the discoveries of the iEth Priesthood, it is shown, 
beyond the possibility of contradiction, that not only could 
Jesus, become the Christ, arise from the tomb but that any 
man now on earth, if he will obey the Divine Law, can do 
the same. 

The Booh Itself. 

The book is printed on laid paper, bound in silk cloth, 
and throughout is in harmony with, and a companion to, 
' ' St. Matthew. ' ' It will contain 53 chapters or lessons, and 
can be used as a text-book in schools and colleges where 
"The Illuminated Faith" is taught. Price $1.25, postpaid. 



40 Catalog of Mystical Books 

THE ILLUMINATED FAITH 

The Christie Interpretation of St. Matthew 

Who does not know of the unrest among the multitudes 
of today ? Who is not aware of the fact that the many have 
lost faith in the established church of the present day? 
Who is not aware of the clearly apparent fact that millions 
of people are seeking, here and there, for a new religion — 
a religion, or religious teaching that is practical and can 
be applied in all the walks of life ? 

Very few are aware of all these conditions, these states 
of mind, that sway the millions throughout the known 
world. 

Many think that the Bible is a useless book, that it contra- 
dicts itself, that in it are found teachings which have been 
clearly disproved by science. 

But there is one thing these multitudes do not know. 
They do not know that there is nothing at all the matter 
with ' ' the Old Book, ' ' they do not know that all that is in 
the book is actual, scientific truth. They do not know that 
the fault lies not in the book, but in the interpretations of 
the took. 

In the Christie Interpretation, a clear distinction is made 
between those teachings of the book which should be consid- 
ered literally, and those which must be considered symboli- 
cally. 

When this is done, we find that the teachings are practi- 
cal, that they can be applied in ordinary life, and that to 
apply them means health, wisdom, peace of mind, and suc- 
cess in life. 

The Interpretation of St. Matthew is the first attempt of 
the Illuminati to give to the seeking world a clear interpre- 
tation of that Gospel. The interpretations are such as can 
readily be understood by all. These Laws can be applied 
in every-day life ; and to apply them is to find peace, it is 
to find new life, a new faith in God and His revealed teach- 
ings. 



Catalog op Mystical Books 41 

To obey the Laws as interpreted in this book is to find the 
Christ, to find Conscious Sonship with the Father, and to 
find a religious faith that nothing can shake. 

The Higher Law. 

The Higher Law governs the body, the mind, the spirit, 
and the Soul. A clear distinction is made between these 
four departments of man's being. 

The Illuminati is the only school that makes this distinc- 
tion, and shows the reason for it. 

Development. 

The wise know that it is not well to undertake any de- 
velopment unless one clearly understands what he is doing. 
To undertake to run an engine, without understanding the 
mechanism, and how to set it into motion, how to stop it, 
how to feed, and how to oil it, would be dangerous. It is 
just as dangerous to meddle with the human machine with- 
out an understanding of the Divine Law. 

The Forces. 

The Divine Law controls all the forces in nature. The 
Divine Law and the Natural Law are one; but the Divine 
Law applies to the things of the Soul, while the Natural 
Laws apply to the Material manifestations. To break one 
is to break the other. 

True Guidance. 

The book is a guide, it is such a guide as all need who de- 
sire to follow the Path to Life, and Light, and Love. Oc- 
cult and Mystical Laws are clearly interpreted, and the 
reasons given. 

Going Astray. 

There is no danger of the seeker's going astray if he 
studies these Laws and obeys them. 

The Forces and Their Use. 

All forces are for use; otherwise, a Wise Creator would 
never have brougth them into existence. Wisely used, they 



42 Catalog op Mystical Books 

will enable the seeker to make all the resources of his four- 
fold nature available and productive, so that he may create 
and execute plans, make his way through obstacles, and 
realize his highest ideals ; in other words, an intelligent ap- 
plication of these forces will enable him to become and to 
accomplish. 

The Book for You. 

The book explains, from various points of view, the Di- 
vine Law underlying all things; and, if you become thor- 
oughly established in its principles, there will be little like- 
lihood of reaction from the forces you set into motion by 
your intense desires. 

The Book Itself. 

The book contains 265 pages ; is printed on beautiful laid 
paper, bound in silk cloth ; side and back stamped in gold. 
Is a standard text-book to be used in Soul Science schools 
and colleges and in class work. Is used at the "Beverly 
School of Sacred Science" when in session. Price $1.50, 
postpaid. 



CHRISTISIS 

Higher Soul Culture 

The lessons on Soul Culture in this book are a happy 
combination of two important features: first, they afford 
instruction concerning the fundamental truths of life ex- 
pressed in language simple yet comprehensive ; second, they 
afford practical suggestions concerning the application of 
these truths to the development of one 's Soul nature. Thus, 
they satisfy two needs of the honest seeker, instruction and 
self-training. 

The book is not for the idle curiosity-seeker. It is for 
the one who is eager to find the truth and is willing to sub- 
mit himeslf to patient self -training that the truth may be 
unveiled to his own consciousness. 



Catalog op Mystical Books 43 

These are rightly called lessons in that they teach ; they 
are rightly called "lessons in Soul Culture" in that they 
offer and explain simple practical methods by which the 
Soul Nature of man may be developed. It is a text-book in 
that it gives a definite course of study, and gives general 
outline of a specific course of self -training. 

It is a book for the teacher because it is an excellent 
guide, in that the expressions are clear, yet condensed, 
leaving room for the teacher to follow his own inspiration 
in expanding and in illustrating the principles taught 
therein. It is a book for the student who has no teacher, 
because the instructions are so clear that he need make no 
mistake. 

Lesson One. . 

Teaching that within himself each one must seek for, and 
find, all power. Telling what to do, and how to do it, in 
order to develop the likeness of the Christ, the true Christ- 
isis, within himself. 

Lesson Two. 

The beginning of wisdom and knowledge. Teaching the 
Science-Religion, the wedding of Science with Religion. 
The giving up of mere belief in the acceptation of reality. 

Lesson Three. 

Life is concentration. Concentration is accumulation. 
Accumulation is power. The Magnetic Center : its finding, 
development, and power. 

Lesson Four. 

The undeveloped soul within man like unto a seed. The 
seeds that lie dormant, the seeds that spring up and die, 
and the seeds that spring up and grow. The Divine Spark 
within. The development of the Christisis. Man a creator. 
The esoteric teachings of the Masters. 

Lesson Five. 

The whole external universe is the outpicturing of the 
thoughts retained within the Infinite Soul. God pictures 



44 Catalog of Mystical Books 

the universe in His mind, and it becomes. Likewise, man 
can picture a universe in his own mind and cause it to be- 
come manifest. Material success and spiritual success. 
True success is one. The religion-science world. 

Lesson Six. 

The Master of Mysticism, Jacob Boehme. "God intro- 
duces His will into nature for the purpose of revealing His 
power in light and majesty to constitute a kingdom of joy." 
"Will, the lever that lifts in any desired direction. How to 
use the power. Two aspects of the force. The grand fac- 
ulty. 

Lesson Seven. 

Mind not magnetic. Mind is electric. The Soul is the 
Magnetic Center. Mind the dynamo. Mind an electrical 
generator. The laws of creation. The great secret of per- 
sonal magnetism. 

Lesson Eight. 

The physical plane. The earth plane. The Soul plane. 
Limitation is bondage. Limitation is not reality, it is not 
life. Life is universal, it is unlimited. "We can draw from 
the Universal Center as much as we need. "We are limited 
only as we limit ourselves. 

Lesson Nine. 

"I and the Father are One." "I am in the world but 
not of the world." The proof that man may live on the 
earth plane, but not be of that plane. All states are but 
conditions of mind and soul. Man is limited only as he 
limits himself. The voice of conscience is the voice of God 
speaking within us. 

Lesson Ten. 

The new life. In trying to find the universal life, you 
try to find the Christisis. The Christisis is the Son of God. 
The Christisis is the unity of man with God. The Christisis 



Catalog of Mystical Books 45 

is the wedding of Science with Religion. The becoming One. 
The Soul is the life of man. The body is simply the neces- 
sary vehicle through which to manifest. 

Lesson Eleven. 

Individual responsibility. No one can escape from the 
law of cause and effect. It is absolute. 

The Book Itself. 

The book consists of an Introduction and eleven lessons. 
One hundred and ninety-two pages, printed on one side of 
sheet only. Printed on 80-pound beautiful cream Alex- 
ander book paper, and bound in buffing, with back and side 
stamped in gold. It is the text-book of the third year's les- 
sons. 

This book may be bought separately. The price is $5.00. 



THE DIVINE LAW 

Inner Aspect 

In this book many of the aspects of the Divine Law are 
taught in their application to the life of man. 

The Laws here taught have to do with the Mystical side 
of life, those things which concern the Soul, the Life after 
this life ; or, the Law concerning the present life in its eso- 
teric sense so that when the present life ends, it will be 
actually a continuation of the present life on another plane 
of existence. 

These Laws as here taught are practical. "We know that 
they are practical, for they are, in nearly every case, 
answers to questions received from some perplexed student. 
These expositions of the Divine Law are answers to such 
questions as were received from students in the Temple of 
Illuminati and appeared in The Initiates, we therefore 
know that they are adapted to seekers' needs. 



46 Catalog of Mystical Books 

contents 
Initiation. 

Around the word ''Initiation" centers all the work that 
has to do with the student who takes up the higher Life, 
the life that is different from that which is ordinarily led 
by man. Moreover, there is no word in the English lan- 
guage which is explained in as many different ways as the 
word "Initiation." In this chapter, a sane, rational, and 
mystic explanation is given of the work of initiation; and 
to give careful study to the chapter, and to heed the instruc- 
tions contained therein, would be the means of saving thous- 
ands from unnecessary suffering and from traveling the 
wrong path, a path which leads to disappointment. 

The Cause of Suffering. 

Man suffers. There is no gainsaying that point. But 
why is it necessary that he should suffer ? Is there a good 
reason for it? What is the Reason? Does man suffer for 
any other acts than those connected with the present life? 
Does he suffer for the sake of others? All these questions 
are fully answered and a reason given for it. No sincere 
student can afford to be ignorant of the great Law, for it 
will show him that both God and the Law are just. 

Man in the Great Beyond. 

"What is the status of man in the Beyond ? Is his destiny 
irrevocably sealed at the transition called death? After 
having lived a godless life during his earth existence, is he 
forever debarred from the opportunity to accept the divine 
standards, and to amend his ways in harmony with them? 
In this chapter the life of man in the Beyond is made clear 
in every respect. He is taught the Laws and the conditions 
that make for the future, the life on the Soul plane. The 
Laws of growth and development are clearly taught, and he 
is shown just what is necessary in order to advance con- 
tinually without being retarded by ignorance and false be- 
liefs. This chapter alone is worth more to the sincere seeker 
than the cost of the book. 



Catalog of Mystical Books 47 

The Origin and the Seat of Evil. 

Is there evil in the world? There are those, so-called 
teachers, who claim that there is no evil. This claim is based 
upon the fact that God made all things and that when he 
made them He made them good. The School of the Christie 
Interpretation admits this fact; bnt it recognizes the 
greater fact that, when God made man, he gave him free- 
will, the right to use things for good or for evil, and that a 
good thing can be used for an evil purpose. The Law is 
fully taught in this chapter, the reason and the cause for 
evil given, and clear instructions for the overcoming of evil 
through obedience to the Divine Law. 

The Status of the Soul. 

What is the Soul? Do all souls reach perfection? How 
are we to account for the different stages of development 
that different souls reach ? 

This is one of the most important chapters in the book. It 
is clear, sane, and to the point. It shows just what the soul 
is, where it is, and what it maybe. It answers the question 
that is uppermost in the minds of the multitudes. 

The Law of Freedom. 

What constitutes freedom? This is the question of the 
ages. All men desire to be free, to do as they think they 
should do ; but few really know what freedom means. Very 
often they free themselves from one bondage only to come 
under a greater bondage. The old saying, ' ' Know the truth 
and the truth shall make you free, ' ' is full of meaning ; but 
we must know how to search for truth, where to find it, and 
how to apply it. 

The Law of Faithfulness. 

What constitutes faithfulness? To whom should we be 
faithful? All Divine Laws center around one Being, the 
One Being manifested in two. God the Father, or call Him 
what you will, is the One Being ; man is but a part of that 
Being. To be faithful to God means to be faithful to the 
self. Faithfulness to these means faithfulness to all else; 



48 Catalog of Mystical Books 

and to be faithful in truth, is to be a success upon all three 
planes of being. Faithfulness to the object underlies all 
real things in life, no matter upon what plane man may be. 
Before he can attain full satisfaction, man must understand 
the Law of Faithfulness. 

Protection Through the Divine Law. 

Can the mind of man be free from the adverse influences 
of other minds? Is it possible for man so to live, so to 
think, that he need not be affected adversely by the per- 
verted wills of other human beings? These questions are 
agitating the minds of many, especially those who are be- 
coming awakened to higher ideals of living and thinking 
and are seriously perplexed over the possibility of becoming 
victims of unprincipled wills. In this chapter, the Laws are 
fully taught and if obeyed, there need be no fear whatever. 
Frankly stated, this chapter is alone worth more to the 
student of the Mystic and Occult than the cost of the set of 
books; for it means freedom from all fear concerning all 
evil influences of whatever nature. 

What of God, the Father? 

In this age when unbelief seems to be rife, when men 
seemingly believe in nothing, not even in themselves, it is 
high time that consideration be given to that which our fore- 
fathers, in faith and love, called God. Men now, are be- 
ginning to pretend that there is no God, no beneficent force 
in nature. Such is not the case, and the Christie Interpre- 
tation believes that when men are taught the truth concern- 
ing the Father, they will again believe, and, through their 
faith, manifest the goodness of the Father. False interpre- 
tations of mystic truth has been the cause of the present 
unbelief. A mystic and sane interpretation will bring men 
to have faith, and, through their faith, to manifest good- 
ness, truth, and power. 

Prayer and the Unity of Souls. 

Is there power in prayer? Can Souls be united in a 
prayer, or a Sacred Mantram, and does such unity give 



Catalog of Mystical Books 49 

power, or bring an answer from the source of power ? These 
questions are fully answered. Moreover, it is clearly shown 
the true method of prayer, which is, in fact, concentration. 
It is shown why such concentration should be had, and why 
Sacred Mantrams do possess power. 

The Unborn and the Divine Lew. 

There is no greater need than that of teaching prospec- 
tive mothers the laws that concern motherhood, the law 
that makes it possible for them to have healthy, bright, and 
desirable children. There is a Divine Law which has to do 
with this ; for this is the most sacred duty of mankind. The 
instructions given are clear and to the point. It is possible 
for every woman to obey them, and therefore possible for 
every woman to have children that are desirable and an 
honor. 

The Book Itself. 

The book is printed on beautiful laid paper, bound in silk 
cloth, and in perfect harmony with the books, "St. John," 
"St. Matthew," and others of the Christie Interpretation. 
The price is $1.25, postpaid. 



THE DIVINE LAW 

Outer Aspect 

This book is a companion to the book, "Divine Law, In- 
ner Aspect ; ' ' but it deals more with the Laws that have to 
do with success in life than with those Laws which concern 
only the Mystical, or the Inner Life of man. 

However, it must not be understood that these same laws 
have not also to do with the Inner Life ; for to break any 
Law that concerns the Physical being, or the material life, 
is also to break the Law that concerns the Soul; but these 
Laws have more especially to do with the things of the 
physical plane. 



50 Catalog op Mystical Books 

contents 
The Leaders. 

Men have said that in this age it is almost impossible for 
a man to succeed. The fact is, never in the history of the 
world was there such a demand for real capable men and 
women. But they must be capable in the real sense of the 
word, they must be fully rounded out, proficient in the 
things they would undertake; and above all, they must be 
loyal to that which they undertake, in other words, put 
their whole heart, mind, and soul into the work, and not 
attempt to dabble in this, that, and the other thing. The 
Illuminati, with its Christie Interpretation, needs leaders, 
true men and women ; and there is power, contentment, and 
advancement for such. 

The Confessional. 

Can the confession, or rather, can any confessional have 
any part in the work of the Illuminati? To answer this 
question, we need but ask another : Is it necessary for men 
and women in the present age to confide in anyone? Is it 
necessary for them, at times, to relieve the mind of pent-up 
feelings? We do not endorse the old idea of the confes- 
sional ; but we believe that human nature is much the same 
today as in the fore time, and that men and women need 
those in whom they can confide and from whom they can 
receive instructions and words of encouragement. 

A Promise, a Pledge, or an Oath. 

"What of the promise, the pledge, or oath made by man? 
Is it to be upheld ? Has it any place in the life of the mod- 
ern man? These have been perplexing questions of many 
students; and the Christie Interpretation answers them 
clearly and fully and according to the Divine Law. 

Destructive Effect of Negative Yogaism. 

To the Western Mind, the terms, Adeptship, Mastership, 
Yogaism, Psychism, Yogi, Master, Adept, and Psychic, are 



Catalog of Mystical Books 51 

apt to present vague and confused ideas. Moreover, in the 
present day when destructive Occultism is being so widely- 
taught, it is time to sound a warning so that the beginner 
may be protected from spurious occultism, from those teach- 
ings that would make him a mere machine, to be used by 
other beings, embodied and disembodied. The chapter is 
clear and to the point, and spares no one, though absolutely 
impartial and just in its conclusions. 

Why Is Man a Failure f 

What is it to be a failure ? Why is man a failure ? What 
constitutes a failure? When we know what it is to be a 
failure, the reason for it and what constitutes a failure, 
then are we also prepared to find the remedy and to apply 
it. When we teach man the reason of his failure in every 
walk of life, then we can also teach him how to succeed, and 
this is one of the greatest works of the true teacher. This 
chapter on the cause of failure should be read, studied, and 
its suggestions applied by every man and woman in the 
world. The Laws applied will lead from failure to success. 

The Law of Vibration. 

Every one interested in the Occult and Mystic desires to 
advance in the science and the art of Soul Culture. Soul 
Culture is based upon absolute law, just as the building of 
a house is based upon absolute laws, laws which are known 
to the architect. Unless the student fully understands the 
Laws of Vibration he cannot make much progress ; and the 
sooner he understands that every thought, every desire, 
creates vibrations which help him either to build up or to 
tear down, the better for him. The chapter gives clear and 
definite instructions. 

Magnetic, or Drawing, Power of the Mind. 

In nature, magnetism is active force, or energy. It is a 
drawing, or attractive power. It is a force that draws 

10 



52 Catalog of Mystical Books 

things to itself. It may attract life, or life-giving forces; 
or it may attract to itself that which produces death and 
failure. No one can be truly successful unless he possesses 
the power called "magnetism;" and the more abundantly 
he possesses it, the more successful he will be. 

Highest Magnetic, or JEth Power. 

Within every living thing, there is a power, a force, called 
magnetism. This power, this force, this energy, may be in 
different states of manifestation: it may be latent, it may 
be inert, it may be in an active state ; or it may be reversed 
— that is, the power may be negative and of no use to its 
possessor ; or it may even be misdirected and thus be a posi- 
tive detriment to the possessor so long as it continues to be 
reversed. Without positive magnetism man is a failure, no 
matter what his status on the earth plane may be. Learn 
the Law and be free. 

Thought and the JEth Forces. 

In the forces produced by thought lies the secret of all 
power that man can ever obtain. By thought, we concen- 
trate upon a given object; and, through concentration, we 
accumulate the power to obtain the thing desired. Herein 
is found the power that brings us either failure or success; 
and it is a lesson that all must learn in order to succeed. 

Miracles. 

The common error concerning miracles is to regard them 
as effects without causes, sudden vagaries of the Divine 
Mind. Effects without cause contradict nature and all nat- 
ural laws. A single miracle of this class would destroy the 
universal harmony, and reduce the universe to chaos. It is 
customary among both the educated and the common classes 
to designate as miracles those things which the mind cannot 
comprehend. The chapter clearly explains the parables of 
the Master Jesus concerning the loaves of bread and walk- 
ing upon the waters. 



Catalog of Mystical Books 53 

The Book Itself. 

The book is printed on beautiful laid paper, bound in silk 
cloth, and in perfect harmony with the books "St. John," 
"St. Matthew," and others of the Christie Interpretation. 
The price is $1.25, postpaid. 



OCT 13 1918 



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